Sora no Kuni - The legend of the land made of sky
by Karyon
Summary: Portgas D. Ace, the only son of the king of the pirates, was executed. The White Emperor was killed. Old balances were destroyed, leading some people to create new ones. In the infested waters of the New World, incontrovertible decisions were fatally taken. The New Era began. (Many original characters, many protagonists).
1. The Briss accident

**Sora No kuni**

* * *

**The legend of the land made of sky**

_There were the words of the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger, who started everything:_

_His death in Loguetown led many men to set sail in search of his great treasure._

_However, the reality is often different from what appears and some questions were buried in the name of an ephemeral ideal of Freedom. Time passed and a new era of pirates was consecrated by the name of his King._

_A few years later, history was bound to repeat itself once again._

_On the threshold of the New World, the military base of Marineford was the scene of a devastating war in which the last vestiges of a ancient Era were finally swept away: Portgas D. Ace, the only son of the king of the pirates, was executed._

_The White Emperor was killed._

_Old balances were destroyed, leading some people to create new ones._

_In the infested waters of the New World, incontrovertible decisions were fatally taken._

_The New Era began._

* * *

**I.**

**The Briss Incident**

A sound low and constant spreads between the waves, slicing the silent night as a biting stab. An alarm that seemed to bring bad omens. Shanks casually leaned his hand on the hilt of the sword and looked towards the island not far away: calm and darkness everywhere, even the sea seemed different.

«It's him?» Asked Benn Beckman, reaching him: he was scanning the still air with quivering nostrils, waiting for anything; none of them was quiet, after the recent events in Marineford. Benn stared at his Captain for a moment, trying to read his mind: that incident was going to add to the endless pieces of a disaster that was spreading throughout the world and he couldn't imagine how he was going to fix it.

«It's not time to worry yet. Be ready» said Shanks, sensing the movement of water to the passage of a vessel; he squinted into the darkness and saw a small boat gliding on the waves with unprecedented ease ; he doubted that even the coffin floating of Mihawk was so agile.

Benn nodded to others, and they all moved toward them, weapons in hand and stretched senses.

«Foosha» said a voice in the dark.

Shanks raised his hand to stop his men «Permission granted, however we remain armed» he explained in a serious tone. The silence that followed his statement probably made him realize that the other side doesn't expected a welcome of that type.

«Sure» said instead the voice of their leader, readily.

The movements in the dark seemed sinister, but Shanks doubted they would have done something stupid. However, when they went up on the Red Force, he clearly sensed some of his men draw back.

«Some of my men didn't think of meeting you, but we couldn't expect anything different huh, _Dragon_?»

The leader of the revolutionary army, considered the most dangerous man in the world, emerged from the shadows with severe frown and proud bearing «I don't let others take responsibility for my actions» he explained, while his bodyguards were left behind to scrutinize the crew of Red hair.

Shanks nodded «What if all your men came forward, including the shooter still on the boat?» Asked him lightly, while the gun of Lucky Lou and the Iguru of Yasopp snapped towards the boat where they felt slight movements barely concealed by the gurgling of the waves.

Probably they would have been inaudible to most people, but his crew was pretty trained to perceive the imperceptible and the only reason why they had waited, it was because in that game Shanks had to maintain absolute authority although he usually tended to not impose it.

The tension spreads among the ranks of the revolutionaries like a lightning, but Dragon just stared at Shanks for a moment, with a grin on his thin face «Kumei, come out».

«Yes, boss!» exclaimed promptly the other, leaping nimbly on the ship. «Hello, Red Emperor», he greeted with a grin.

«Hello to you» he replied, staring at him with curiosity: he was tall, wiry and thin; his yellow eyes, which stood out like lighthouses in the night, recalled those of a cat. «Come».

They walked inside the Red Force, observed by the crew scattered on the main deck. Only Dragon and Shanks sat down at the entrance of the stern bridge house.

«It's a long time we don't see, Dragon» began Shanks, offering sake. «You'll know for sure».

Dragon took a long drink «Sake of the East Sea has always been the best» he agreed, remembering the drink of his hometown and that was special.

Shanks smiled briefly «That's what I also said to the old man, a little time ago».

«Yeah. Where is his crew?»

«After the funeral, they decided to remain in the New World to regain energy. The war was tiring» he explained, coldly.

«There will come a time when fighting will not serve longer good for anything», said Dragon, whose ideal of freedom was celebrated in every ocean of the world.

«But, until then, it remains one of the few means by which we try to take control», said Shanks, staring at him.

«Who really will be favored by this war is yet to be seen. For sure there will be many changes».

«The changes have already taken place, some people are already moving. That's why I can't afford _diversions_» said Shanks again and, this time, the tension between them was palpable.

Dragon froze for a moment «... Some deviations are not preventable».

«I disagree» said the other immediately.

As a signal, the two groups behind them began to fixed each other, ready to attack.

Dragon nodded «I'm here in person to make amends for that mistake. Where is he?»

«He is safe. We got him just in time» said Shanks but, at the distrustful expression of the other, sighed. «You have my word that he will be fine and will not be harmed. You know me, you know that I don't act like that».

«Yes, I know. You continues to be one of the few in this world that doesn't do it. When we will have it again?»

«In due time. You know all this will have major consequences...» said Shanks and Dragon let out a deep sigh «How big?»

The other stared at him as if undecided to reply or not, then began with steady voice «I'm going to prevent the outbreak of another war, Dragon, then I ask you to dismiss any claim to officially recovery the South Sea» he announced.

«What!»

The confusion that spreads around them not included Dragon, who just stared at him for a long time «What else?»

«But, boss...»

«Silence. What else do you ask, Red Emperor?»

It was really hard to understand what was going through his head; he was probably the most unflappable man he had ever known, thought Shanks.

«He will never have to do missions on field. His cover is blown, he will not be useful» said again and the other nodded «Okay».

When he stood, it seemed as if the sky moves with him; Dragon seemed to haven't any significant Haki, but he had a power so great to move the air with a touch.

Shanks followed his moves then, when the delegation was already turned towards the boat, he continued «Another thing: we'll take care of the spy. This is a goodbye».

Dragon paused only for a moment and nodded «Goodbye».

When the boat was sailed, Benn approached to Shanks with a strange feeling in the muscles «You think it's the end of the revolution?»

«No, I think it is the beginning of something else».

Dragon continued to stare at the profile of the Red Force, until it disappeared into the mists of EastPeak Island. He wasn't worried about the requirements of Shanks, because the Southern Sea was nothing but a small piece in the overall plan; he was worried about his men, one man in particular, that could have been the fundamental key to the success of his dream.

He hoped that the promises of an Emperor were authentic.

«What do we do now?» asked Kumei, approaching with annoyed look: he didn't trust the pirates, even those who professed freedom to all.

And him, Shanks the Red was nothing more and nothing less than a pirate.

«Find the spy and try to understand what he discovered. And Kumei... this is a priority mission».

Usually he was the one who kept promises, though he well remembered to not having promised to the Emperor of not investigate on the Briss incident.

Many times, the words meant everything.


	2. Game of Powers

**Chapter I**  
**Games of Powers**

The sky in this part of world had a very strange texture; it seemed more dense in some way.  
He still wondered how it was possible to move the Marine Headquarters on a spit of land like that; he had just stepped on the decaying wood of the pier, that he had definitely figured out how was changed the "New Navy": all stand at attention with a perfectly shiny uniform, silence all around. The golden times of Sengoku and Garp were finally finished.  
In spite of everything, especially in spite of the fierce rigidity of which was famous the new Fleet Admiral, the idea of moving all on G -1 had something of "out of character": the base was a jumble of crooked buildings, narrow in a little perimeter and difficult to control; on the upper floors , it was rumored that the real purpose of Akainu was to declare war on another Emperor. The news about the clashes between the Navy and Kaidou were numerous and insistent, but if it was the Red Emperor ... well, he certainly didn't want to attend.  
Without the intercession of Sengoku, it was a very plausible idea, although crazy, since Shanks had stopped his war for justice in monovision. But everything was not interesting for him for the moment, because he was there just to do his job.  
"Stop there, who are you?"  
Two guards crossed the rifles under his nose to bar the entrance.  
"I have an appointment with the boss," quipped with a grin on his dark and thin face.  
The two soldiers glanced, uncertain on what to do.  
"There's no danger. Tell him that Guremausu is here."  
Akainu continued to watch the soldiers who were moving as slow and stupid ants from the large picture window of his office and made a sound of contempt; its consideration of the Navy had already declined over the years, but the war of Marineford had virtually wiped out the last remnants of foolish idealism that still anesthetized the upper echelons of the world; with that crazy Kuzan and old wrecks like Garp and Sengoku out of the game, he had a chance to recover all the time lost to chase wretched gooders. If he knew the point of view of Kizaru on piracy and true justice, the ideas of the new Admiral Fujitora were still mysterious; however, he was and remained a Lord of Wa and the inhabitants of that kingdom, even if they had never agreed to be allied to the Government, they had never backed the pirates.  
In the situation of extreme instability in which they found themselves, he preferred the neutrality of a samurai to the open contempt of Aokiji.  
Now, he just needed a third admiral who could tip the scales even more decidedly on his side. Despite their exclusion, Garp and Sengoku remained two plugs in the side rather annoying; especially the first one, with the role of trainer of new recruits due to his years of service, was likely to keep too much influence.  
"Lord" A soldier snapped to attention, waiting for permission to speak.  
"What ?" He growled, sounding bored.  
"There is somebody who seeks you, Lord. He says he has an appointment..."  
"What!" Snapped him, turning around. "I never give appointments, breed of donkey . He said his name?"  
The soldier swallowed visibly and hoped not to be out done, that day: "Guremausu, Lord".  
Akainu froze for a moment, thinking quickly: and so, the rat had crawled out from who knows which island to go back to ask for the bill now that he was a Fleet Admiral, very stupid on his part.  
"Let him enter" he ordered, returning to see at the sea from the opaque glass.  
The doors opened and Guremausu came in without a word; even without seeing it, Akainu could guess who had the usual snappy and nervous walk, yet so light as to be inaudible.  
He turned only when Guremausu was seated quietly on one of the red couches, noting how the time was unforgiving for some people than for others.  
"I see you bad" he said in fact, without any grace.  
Guremausu grinned and the scar that disfigured the left side of his face stretched.  
Akainu remembered that once he had long black hair and dangerous dark eyes, and now the head stood out black and shiny as a billiard ball and his left eye was a strange mixture of red, white and black.  
"Instead, I see you old" said him, knowing how old age was considered negatively by the new Fleet Admiral: Akainu had always possessed the big ego to believe he was immortal but, now that he also had the power, he hoped to become it; the idea of becoming a decrepit old man without energy and without independence frightened him and he was one of the few in the world to know it.  
"What do you want?" Chewed acid Akainu, but Guremausu had every intention of enjoying the moment, so he just toke some tea and sipping it slowly.  
However, Akainu knew his game, so waited and continued to stare at him as if it were a chasm open beneath him.  
"What do you know of Briss Incident?" Asked Guremausu, when he finally decided it was time to talk about it. The Fleet Admiral sat back down behind his desk and crossed his arms over his chest "And what do you know about it?"  
Guremausu cocked his head to one side, while the grin disappeared suddenly "The Red Emperor intervened to quell a possible revolution. The rumor is that the Navy has decided not to get involved…"  
"Those lands are under his protection and this is not the right time to start a new war" said Akainu, thinking about the order to not interfere that the Five Elder Stars give to him.  
"Sure..." afreed gently the other, knowing that a move so prudent couldn't be an idea of that crazy dog of Akainu "...But there's something that the Red Emperor doesn't know..."  
Akainu raised his head snapped, with renewed interest "What are you talking about?"  
Guremausu crossed his long legs lined with a strange shiny black fabric and smiled "Deal it".  
Obviously.  
Akainu leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh, still looking at him: the bastard was someone not to be trusted, however it was too dangerous and the dangers he preferred to keep them close. After all, he was looking for more support possible in the Navy, it wasn't said that thay had to be _clean._  
"I'll repeat it once: what do you want?"  
"I want to be the new Admiral" said Guremausu.  
"Why?" He asked again, in an angrily whisper.  
"The Power".  
"To you it has never affected the power" he snapped, sounding almost angry.  
His lack of ambition had always sickened him; however, such a sudden change was at least suspect.  
"Things change. You once would have never thought of becoming the Fleet Admiral" said him with a smile. They stared in silence for a long time, then Akainu decided that he could make such a concession to him; it could always be comfortable someone like him in a position of power.  
"What do you know?"Asked in the end, and it was a sort of assent.  
The grinned of Guremausu became wider; Akainu had always hated all that smile at random.  
"What do you know of_ Baterilla_?"

The sound of the DenDenMushi echoed on damp walls of the cave until reach the narrow cavern where, on a base of solid rock, Kaidou was watching the ice drip at the foot of his throne.  
"Someone could take the damn thing?" He tried to ask rhetorically, while one of his men was fast approaching.  
"Here, my Lord" he said almost shouted, his hands trembling.  
"Finally" quipped the Emperor. "Out of my way, now. Are you?" Grunted then, to the receiver.  
"Yes, sir . The first part of the mission is going to end" hissed a voice from the other end, so low as to seem somehow counterfeit.  
"Aghaghaghagha" laughed Kaidou, while the hand snapped stroking his thick and long brown hair. "Well. I attend the beginning of the next phase. Don't disappoint me".  
"No, sir" replied ready the voice before attacking.  
The Emperor gave threw the DenDenMushi without regard, then he stood up from the faded red bench with a grin of satisfaction on the face: his plan was proceeding very good; just few phases and the entire World would have trembled under his power! Especially one man would regret his boldness. Kaidou approached to a fragment of mirror and examined himself: a long and wide scar extended from the base of the neck to the stomach, dividing into two the bare chest; another litter scar marked the face from the eyebrow to the lips, passing by the little nose. Red Hair Shanks would have paid for that affront.  
"Lord, I don't want to disturb you, but your hosts are coming…"  
"Thank you, Gazela"  
His lieutenant bowed briefly, while a rough and loud laugh was expanding in the cavern. Blackbeard stopped on the entrance, eyeing one of the three Emperors: he could say to be one of the team now, seeing on how many lands he had torn to the Old Man, but it was anyway really impressive to see Kaidou: it was bigger and taller than him, with a mane of hair around a fierce face with a big scar and little dark eyes.  
He glance quickly at his body, but noticed that he wore thick gloves and torn pants. And he was bare feet.  
"Emperor" said Blackbeard, not without a sort of irony. It wasn't a thing of his character to be reverent, especially because he really didn't care about their respect or their powers.  
Kaidou didn't seems to take it personally, indeed he grinned "Marshall D. Teach, finally I meet you…" began, throwing on the throne and making a gesture of approaching. "Your crew can enter, I promise I'll don't eat them" joked, while the grin widened.  
Blackbeard gave a load laugh, but shook his head "They remain here, they have some problems with… little places…" The allusion hovered a bit between them, then Kaidou made a gesture of indifference "So, I guess you've got my warm invitation…" said, while the eyes of Blackbeard blinked: They were sailed to Eagleway, when a sort of flying monster tried to sink them, by landing on the main bridge; when he read the letter of the Emperor had believed in a trap; but the monster didn't seems to accept a "no" as answer, so he had to accept. What a warm invitation!  
"Zeahahahah, yes. This is a good place, anyway"said, sitting on a rock in front of him.  
"Yes, my little friends are a bit… exuberant. I guess you'll wonder why you are here…"  
"Because you want an alliance" retorted ready Blackbeard. At the strange expression of the Emperor, he pointed at the scars on his face "Those… I think to know who made them to you…"  
Kaidou drank from a weird bottle of glass and waited.  
Teach got up the sleeve of his left arm, revealing a large red and deep scar. Exactly the same. "Shanks the Red Hair" said, lowering his sleeve. "So, what do you want?"  
Kaidou continued to drink long drafts, then wiped his mouth with his big arm: "You have to look for a person. But first, I want that we are allies: Shanks will not live enough to see the next Pirate King."  
Blackbeard quickly calculated that creating a secret alliance between two Emperors could easily destabilize the balance to his advantage; Kaidou was favored at the moment compared with Shanks who saw to fall his established positions – such as the Briss Incident a few weeks before. And then, that damn had to pay. He made a promise.  
"Zeahahah, done deal" said.  
The two shook their hands with the feelings that something was definitely changing.  
"Who do I seek?" asked after to Kaidou, that returned to grin with a more ferocious air than usual.  
When he was in the middle of Ocean, with the cave of Kaidou on his black and the horizon all around, Blackbeard opened the sealed letter with a big green "K" on the front. The photo didn't give him the thrill he had hoped for: he had already seen the guy because he was at the war of Marineford, but he didn't understand why Kaidou searched him.  
"The guy isn't Gekko Moria of Shichibukai?" said Jesus Burgess, eyeing the photo.  
The Captain stroke shrugged; whatever the reason for that research, he would find out.  
"Route to the North" he ordered.  
Apparently, it was from the war that Moria didn't show up; perhaps the only one who knew something was another one of those clowns Shichibukai, the one that looked like a vampire.  
"What are we going to do in the north?"  
"We have to look for a person" said him, cryptically. The vampire man ruled a island in the Grand Line, but it was impossible to go back without some special power to him still unknown. Kaidou had suggested to look in the North, because it was known that Hawkeye often wandered in these parts since he and Shanks seemed to be friends.  
Perhaps it was fate that would tread on his feet again.  
And the thing couldn't do anything but make it immensely happy.

Makino observed with curiosity the long row of soldiers that extended from the pier, through the town, up to the hill. She had heard about the return of Garp – in fact, the mayor had shouted it from the rooftops for about a week – but she didn't imagine all that deployment of forces.  
"What do you think, honey?" She asked rhetorically to her son, that played on the counter near to her.  
The only answer was a slew unarticulated sounds, obviously.  
"Ok, I think is time to say hallo" she decided, taking the baby in her arms.  
It wasn't so difficult to know how were Garp, in fact following the wake of soldiers in uniform she reached the base, built on the beach with a big sign with the symbol of Marine.  
"Oh" she murmured, a little disappointed. She loved Garp, but she didn't think it was a good idea Marine base in Foosha: after Dadan, Ace, Rufy and Shanks had passed from here, it seemed a bad omen.  
"Excuse me, did you know how I can find…" she began to ask to a soldier, but a shrill voice came up behind her "Makino! I'm very happy to see you again!" Greeted the man more cheerful that she had believed in seeing him in monvision.  
"Hi, Garp. I saw all these soldiers, so…"  
"They are helping for my new project"  
"Yes, a new base of Marine, right? I didn't think it was necessary in a peaceful sea like ours…" she replied, raising the head to read the sign that said: "Base of military training of Marine – Oriental Detachment".  
"Ah not, it's a detachment?"  
Garp nodded with a big grin "To my experience, they asked to remain and train the new soldiers. You know, after the war I thought it was better to leave… but, the Marine is my life and I can't do anything about this" he said, while the voice lowered in thinking about these days of hell in which is world was almost destroyed. With Dragon, he was habituated to suffer about its choices of life, but with Ace it was different… Ace was like Rufy: his nephew, the boy that he had grown careless about the blood in his vains, the one of which he had followed the adventures, trembling in every danger. Ace and Rufy were like his children, more than that.  
Dragon… there were years that he didn't think to the word "son" near his name. And him, he was sure about it, had eradicated the word "father" from his vocabulary.  
Garp stirred when felt something pull the tie "What? Oh, and that baby?" Asked to Makino, while stroking his fair hair.  
Makino smiled "Let me to introduce you my son: his name is Mikàn".  
The baby smiled to Garp, trying to pull his hair.  
"Ehi, little brat! And his father?" Asked and then regret it, when he saw the girl's face became dark.  
"It isn't a pleasant story: Tsuku was a fisherman… he has arrived in Foosha a year ago to open a new business and to move away from the tumults of the islands too close the routes of pirates. The reign of Goa is a calm place and he thought it was nice to live there. We started to live together and Mikàn was born six months ago, but few weeks later, Tsuku came out at sea for the usual fishing and never came back" she told and her voice broke.  
Garp scratched his head, uncomfortably "I'm really sorry, Makino…. But now you have him with you… try to be strong!" He said, with a smile of encouragement,  
She smiled in return "Sure, that little scamp keeps me busy and I'm right now… don't worry".  
He smile again and Makino felt better, even if she preferred to change topic "So, it will be a established base?"  
Garp nodded "Yes, now I'm not one of the bigwigs and I can lie down and drink cocktails, while I train young cavies" quipped laughing.  
Makino shock her head because she knew that Garp was and remained a man of the Marine that would preferred to fight against the pirates till the death.  
Nevertheless the death of Ace had marked all of them, she thought while returning in her saloon; if for her it was been difficult, she couldn't imagine how it was for Dadan or Garp that had grown up Ace and Rufy… Ah, Rufy… how are you?  
Makino whispered, thinking to that terrible vision of some weeks before: it was reveled that Ace was the son of Gol D. Roger; it must have been difficult to grow up without a father… a destiny shared by many sons of the sea like him. She put Mikàn in the cradle and continued to observe him for a while: also her son would have grown up without a father; sometimes she thought that the sea was only a sort of ravenous monster that sucked with no pity.  
Sometimes, she would have wanted that there wasn't no sea and no fools ideals to lick it, so everybody could live, grow up and get old where their destiny wanted, stable like ancient oaks and not inconstant like the wind in an autumn day.  
On his hand, Garp thought that child. A day, would have to choose which side to be and that choice would not have done anything but contribute to messing up his life.  
The world didn't seem that more than the choice: Pirate or Marine, soldier or revolutionary… though there were some people that didn't want to be white or black; there were people that were gray, even if that meant to suffer every day.  
He himself was gray, after all.  
Sometimes, he thought that Dragon was the one to have the courage of choose the right thing. To choose to not choose.  
"Pirate or Marine? I don't care! I want a world where it wasnt' obligatory to choose which side to be.  
And it will be possible to pass at the history also with that: to be _nothing_".  
Garp smiled to remember the little, ruffled Dragon that refuse to train with him. A real rebel.  
"I hope you succeed, my son" murmured, looking at the open sea.  
Off the coasts of Goa's kingdom, among the waves that menaced a tempest, a little boat was stopped to scan the horizon. The clangs of the new base came up to there.  
"Our spy say that they are building a new base of Marine…"  
Dragon put one leg to the bulkhead and thought quickly "Who is the headman of works?"  
The two men to his back look at each other "Ehm, is your father Garp".  
Dragon grinned, thinking that nobody – even if the decrepit leaders of Government – could oust the old man form the military world. That life was stitched on him from the birth, like a second skin.  
"I suppose that the Mission number four have to stop for a while, uh?" Said Dragon, with a deep laugh.  
The others didn't answer also because they hadn't yet realized which was the relationship between their boss and his father.  
"Surely it was too dangerous to continue, so I think is better to use our energy in other missions. Say to our spy to continue to report".  
"Yes!"  
"And so, how about you…" continued Dragon, turning to the man that would have to be one of his most importantl member and that, instead, had created only troubles. "I think it's appropriate to repay to the Briss Incident".  
"What should I do?" immediately asked, ready to repair to his mistakes.  
He had to admit he had done a real disaster with his first serious mission, especially considering how much he had prayed Dragon to give him a chance; he had been lucky that the Kingdom of Briss was in the waters of Shanks the Red, the most benevolent among the Emperors. The four days of captivity had seemed more like an holiday: he had the possibility to walk all around the Red Force, to eat what he wanted, to sleep in a real bed; Shanks had even given him the possibility to choose where to land and to call Dragon to be taken. He could hardly believe that he was considered one of the most dangerous men in the world.  
As he read in his head, Dragon began "I know that Shanks seem a man that keeps his word and that has treated you too kindly, but the failure of a mission will have some hard consequences anyway.  
Worst, also this mission have to stop for now."  
"What? Why? I can return and make better, you know!" He blurted, standing up and polling down the hood.  
"I already told you to stay covered" growled Dragon, shoving the hood down over his eyes. "And no, you can't. It was a specific request of Shanks and I want to keep my word like him."  
"But-" He rose up automatically, while all the good memories of the Red Emperor disappeared, but Dragon stopped him with a hand gesture "I don't told you that you can't work, but you can't do it in this sea or in Bliss. Now I need you for another mission but, this time, you can't fail."  
He nodded quickly "Where should I go?"  
Dragon return to scan the horizon, without a smile "It's too far. Maybe you will not be back very soon".  
"What-?"  
"Take this. Follow that it was written here: there are maps, descriptions, secrets… all you need on the mission. But you must never lose it, never read it in public or lose it" explained, while the boy looked at the worn diary. "But it belongs to anybody-?"  
"And especially don't make questions, to nobody. Neither to me."  
He nodded an rose up "I don't let you down this time, trust me",  
Finally, Dragon smiled and put a hand on his shoulder "You don't ever let me down. Be careful".  
The other nodded with a lump in the throat: he wanted to say so many things; he wanted to ask him if it was normal to think that it seemed a real goodbye, he wanted to ask him if the mission was so difficult as it seemed, if it was a possibility to reach his dream… but he didn't.  
Like he say to him: no questions. Never.  
"Goodbye, Dragon. For now".  
"Yes, for now. Goodbye, Sabo."

Author note (I'm not sure that it is the right place to post them):

Sorry if I'm always late, but I'm Italian and my English is not so good. I try to translate as best as possible, but I'm sure there will be myriad of different errors. I hope you can help me and be merciful, pointing errors and whatever. It would be a great help, thanks


	3. Mugiwara divided I

**Mugiwara divided [I]**

**Shikkearu Kingdom, Kuraigana island – Grand Line**

The Wood of that damn island was more intricate than a nest of brambles, thought Zoro after another cut; continuing in that way, he would be bled to death before understand where the hell he was. The punch of Kuma had been so sudden as not to give him time to understand and he didn't remember to have thought of a particular place. Especially not to a place so ghostly: the trees stood white and thin like skeletons in the darkness, while the few that he saw was dark and moonless.  
"Damn it, where the hell is it?" Asked Zoro to himself for the millionth time, while he was mowing some branches with the katana.  
"Horohorohoro" a grotesque laugh stopped him; obviously he knew that laugh.  
"I've already told you that your laugh is ridiculous" he shouted upward, but his nice companion of adventures didn't seem to care.  
"And I've already told you that it's the wrong direction, again" replied Perona, continuing to laugh.  
were some weeks that they lived on the island and the "hopeless case" hadn't yet realized that there was nothing on that side.  
"Mind your own business, girl" blurted Zoro, irritate. Okay, he wasn't properly a genius about orientation, but he didn't need of a petulant and talkative little girl like her; above all, if he had met again Kuma, he would have made him pay all the days passed in her company.  
Perona shrugged and she levitated to the higher bench of a tree, sitting with imperturbable calm "If you'll decide to find the exit, you must go to the North" said, deciding to devote herself to something more important, like her nails.  
Zoro stopped for a moment, then turned sure to his left and began to walk.  
"That is the Ovest, idiot!" Shouted Perona, with an incipient headache. She still asked herself how it was possible for his crew to tolerate him.  
"Bof, I give up. I'm too tired" announced Zoro, dropping into a tree. "Ohi, you" Bring me some food!"  
"Don't give me orders!" she snapped, like a fury. "No way! I will not be controlled by a two-bit pirate…" continued to say, but he wasn't listened to her. His attention was taken by a strange noise; it was metallic and constant, growing in power from second to second.  
"Ghostly girl!"  
"I'm Perona, is the tenth time that I say it to you!"  
"Shut up and hear!" continued Zoro and she followed his gaze "What's that?!"  
"I don't know… can you fly till there?"  
She nodded and passed the Wood that seemed to flood the island and let out a scream of several decibels, making him an heart attack.  
"What did she doing, now…" murmured Zoro; he also had to save her! He jumped up and ran to the thick vegetation and appeared in a wide glade. "What?!"  
A huge marble cross stood in the middle of that seemed an ancient cemetery; Perona was on one of the projections, fainted.  
"And I've thought it was a serious thing…" murmured, looking around; it was possible notice the profile of a macabre castle on the background. From good to better.  
"Ohi! If I expected you, at this time I would be dead!" Said Perona, flying to him after to be awake.  
"C'mon, you're okay… so, let's go to see who is in there?" Replied Zoro, pointing the castle.  
Perona murmured something bad, then grinned "You're no capable to reach the castle alone, uh?"  
"What?! I no need your help! It was only to stop your snivel like a baby!" Replied Zoro, blushing. Now he was ready to kill her.  
"I don't "snivel like a baby", subspecies of… Gorilla!" Blurted her, throwing to him some ghosts.  
"Don't throw to me those things! Let's go, we are losing time!"  
"You can't leave here my body, so if you want that I help you, you must carry my body!"  
Zoro gritted his teeth, resisting the desire to unsheathe the katana, then he went to get her body and took it up on his shoulder without any caution.  
"Watch out! You're delicate like an elephant!" moaned her, watching her head clash against a tree.  
"You're already lucky that I've accepted to carry you like a puppet".  
"Yes, and without me or my powers you would still lost in the forest, dear Sir I don't know where is the North… but, what was that?"  
The metallic noise began and now it bisected the silence of the night. They realized what was happening too late and Zoro felt without seeing the deep cut on his arm; the armlock sagged and Perona fell to the ground, while her projection disappeared.  
"Damn it!" He dodged the second blow just in time, landing a few steps away with the arm almost helpless. The problem was that the cut wouldn't had to hurt him: he had suffered worse cuts, but that cut had prevented him from unsheathing the swords or do anything. And, as if that were not enough, he absolutely hadn't understood where had begun the attack.  
"Who the hell are you?" Shouted in the darkness, without answers.  
He took advantage of the moment to pull back the body of Perona, hiding behind a rock; from the blood with which it was stained hands, she also had to be wound and more deeply than him. "What do you want?" Shouted again and, again, he didn't receive any answer.  
"Oh, fuck you" murmured; he sheathed the swords and settled the girl astride on his back, determined to get to the damn castle. It wasn't sure that he would find help, but it was better than being outside at the mercy of anything.  
"One, two ... three," he whispered, taking the direction of the North (maybe) and praying that at least one area of that place was hospitable. Behind him, in the meantime, the mysterious enemy had drawn out the big double ax with the idea that someone would kill him for that mistake.  
The DenDen Mushi vibrated in the pocket of the coat and he hastened to reply.  
"So?" The voice on the other side was slightly acute, nervous.  
"I have failed. The swordsman and the ghost girl are going to the castle".  
"What! You have to find them! Not much time left, he'll be there soon ... "  
The assassin sighed "I will not fail again."  
"I hope for you, because you don't know what he usually do to those who sneaks into his island..."  
They attacked almost in unison, and immediately the mysterious man called one of the big bats that were flying in the cloudy sky. "Okay, you must do one thing for me..." he whispered, tying a ticket to the leg and pointing to the castle. "To the girl".  
He didn't have time to watch it go away that a knife appeared from the forest, piercing his throat from side to side. "One down," hissed a voice from the darkness, eyeing the castle. It had been years that intruders didn't arrive on the island; that meant that times were indeed changing.  
The big door opened with some difficulty, creaking and puffing as if it hadn't been opened for centuries, and judging by the layers of neglect and disorder, it was true.  
"Ok, we find a way to cure us..." muttered Zoro to himself, letting go of the body of Perona in the first bedroom; he went to the research of bandages, medicines or anything wasn't junk, or dust. "It must be an abandoned castle..." he said, but a few candles lit in a room on the left disproved his hypothesis; he tried to look inside, but it was just in time to see a library and some old books that the door closed with a gust of wind.  
Okay, there was something very strange there, but for the moment it was more important to try to stay alive; he examined the wound and noticed no signs of stop bleeding, even with the rag he had used to dab. Strange.  
Usually he was pretty tough, but it was also true that the wound was bizarre also in the form; the weapon had to have some kind of power, if not a curse.  
Meanwhile, Perona had awakened and looked around, bewildered; obviously it was pretty obvious that she was no longer in the forest, but she didn't understand what had happened.  
"Ouch!" Squeaked, feeling a sharp pain in the back; she let her projection to examine the wound and noticed that it was quite deep, as well as particularly painful.  
But that was not what worried her: where did he went, "the green swordsman"?  
"I 'm sure he is lost again..." she muttered, trying to get up. Before she could do anything, she saw a dark shape was approaching the window, larger and larger until it reaches the form of a big bat; it glided on the windowsill and waited she approached. Perona gave a quick glance at the hallway, then opened the window and took the message that the animal went under the wing.  
"For me?" She whispered, then began to read, changing expression while reading. "It isn't possible…" she murmured, leaning from the window to peer into the darkness.  
That message couldn't be arrived alone on that island, and that meant that...  
"Ohi, are you awake?" Zoro's voice startled her and, before she could realize, the bat was gone; she hid the paper among the clothes and returned to the bed, "Y-yes. What happens?"  
The face of the swordsman appeared from the door, with a strange expression, "This is the castle of Hawkeye Mihawk."  
"Oh, really?" She replied, in a neutral tone.  
Of course she knew. But she wasn't really sure to want to know everything that it was written in that message: those were dangerous information and then she was no longer alone; Zoro wasn't only a skilled swordsman, he was one of the Mugiwara. She had to be careful.  
"Zoro..."  
"How are you?" He asked, eyeing her.  
Perona almost blushed.  
She already felt guilty at hiding things so important, what would have happened if they had become friends?  
"W-well ..."  
Zoro sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair, "We should leave as soon as possible. Damn it, if only I knew where the others are... "  
Perona looked at him more carefully, "Are you really worried about them, right?"  
"They are my crew," he said and she just nodded, thinking back to Moria, Abasalom and the others who had lost. Before she could replicate something, a "knock knock" rang out among the dank walls of the castle, warning of the arrival of someone.  
The two looked at each other with the same dazed expression, and if it was Hawkeye Mihawk?  
**  
Island of Weatheria – Sky**  
Nami was studying the movements of the clouds, taking notes on her agenda. After two weeks, she began to understand something about weather, its moods and all that could be useful for her to navigate in the New World. However, she continued to ask herself why she had been sent here; she hadn't ask to Kuma to go in that place and, in realty, she hadn't asked for nothing. Obviously, for her, her place would be with her Captain; she sighed, resting the chin on her crossed arms; after she had read the article on the newspaper, she had spent a lot of time thinking about him… Lose a brother in that way was not supposed to be easy. Maybe she couldn't stand Mojiko, but if she was died…  
Nami sighed another time. After the decision of Rufy, they had decided to become more powerful, but in reality she hadn't too much to do there. It wasn't a mystery that she wasn't the strongest of the crew and, even if she had promised to herself to not be a weight for nobody, it wasn't so easy.  
"Oh, finally you're here…" The voice of Haredas arrived from the open window of the big terrace and Nami decided to hidden; she had already understood that he was waiting important people from the worried expression and she was curious to know.  
"Master… it isn't easy to find you, the island move constantly…" said the voice.  
Nami forced herself to understand who it was, because the voice wasn't new to her.  
Haredas made an indifferent gesture, impatient to know how it was going the mission "So, how did it go? Did you find him?"  
The other sighed "Yes, yes. We had found him…"  
"And?"  
"It isn't so easy. He moved all the time, he isn't ever more of two days on the same island, he is surrounded by loyal men who would lose their life for him.. he is so well protected that even an army can't do anything. And I'm alone" he ended with frustration.  
"The mission has been entrusted to you because you swore that you were able to finish it."  
Nami had never heard a tone so cold; the old men of Weatheria were docile and submissive, but in all that dialogue Haredas looked totally a different person.  
"I'm sure I can do it, but I need more time" said the voice, almost offense by the insinuation.  
Haredas nodded and got up, approaching a bit too to the window where she had hidden. After the last phrases, she was sure that it wasn't safe for her to get caught.  
"There are voices that talk about imminent changements... you were at Marineford for the War, you have seen it up close".  
"Yes, I was to the Shabondi archipelago, where there was all in monovision. It was upsetting".  
At that time, their crew was already divided, thought Naimi, and Rufy was there to save Ace. Maybe he wasn't alone, but they weren't there to help him. She wasn't there to help him.  
After some minutes, she heard Haredas say: "The deads of Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard aren't the unique changements that are preannounced to the threshold of New Era. We must act before it is too late, before he'll decide to make some move".  
"You are saying… to kill him before he'll decide to interfere?"  
"I'm saying: to stop him whetever the costs".  
The two continued to speak for a while, but Nami decided to have enough; trying to not make noise, she moved towards the ledge and lowered herself easily. Her mind was traveling fast and she tought there was something unclear: the mysterious man had the mission to stop someone who obviously had the ability to create trouble. But who could it be? And the mission was on behalf of whom? Despite the change of Haredas, she doubted that everything came from the essays of Weatheria... and above all, how could the mysterious killer move from sky to earth so easily? They had to take the Knock Up Stream to get to Skypiea.  
Nami decided to write her doubts and questions on her agenda, to remember also when she would rejoined in the crew. Now, she hadn't time to lose: she had promised to herself to turn around the island and to research something useful. For the moment the new informations didn't seem something vital, but now she had understand that it was something else behind the idea of peaceful little meteorological island : l'unique solution was to investigate. She was absolutely convinced that their destinations weren't chosen at random, so even her destination should have theoretically help to improve her; she had thought for a long time and she was came to the conclusion that Kuma had helped them: apart from the initial pain, they were still so weak compared to the New World pirates who would be defeated for sure; not to mention the monsters that were in the Marine.  
"Why you sent me here, Kuma?" hissed to herself, while she was walking around the island. She was so into her thoughts, that only at last moment she noticed the man that blocked the road to the edge of the forest. Nami quickly hid herself and began to study him: it was very tall and large, with the typical wings of Skypiea and a long cloak; he was talking to someone with a laptop Denden Mushi.  
"So, what's going on?" Said the voice that she didn't know.  
"Bad, I failed the mission. It's impossible to approach him" answered, saying the same things that he had said to Haredas.  
"I see. It isn't so bad… I would have been surprised to the contrary: he is one of the most elusive men of history," said the voice. "And the old man?"  
"He've given me another possibility. But, at that point I don't know what to do…"  
"Mmh, obviousuly it should be his general quarter somewhere in the New World. His native land is the Oriental Sea, but I think he didn't go there from a while…"  
Nami gasped: Rufy came from from the Oriental Sea, as other pirates that she knew… Who are they searching?  
The man from Skypiea nodded "So the New World… it isn't a little place, eh" said with irony.  
Follow the routes not planned by the Log Pose of Red Line. He have never traveled on the normal routes… and surely he will return from the Meridional Sea, because I know that they met".  
"How many informations… to work for the Marine is a good thing!"  
"Shh, damn you! I already told you to not speak about it so openly…" said the voice.  
"Yes, sure. I'm sorry. I go".  
"Okay, watch at you. He isn't a easy one".  
"I know its fame, thanks for the interest, I'm touched" he replied, with black irony, and stopped the call.  
Nami attended that the man went away and, in the meantime, she tried to order all the new informations she had: the man of Skypiea had the mission to kill someone very powerful, that had the power to upset the world and many allies; and the killer had agreed with one of the Marine.  
So there were more alliances than they thought. She needed more informations!  
In the end, she decided to go to Picos that had the metereological editorial station. It was little and caotic, on a pick of clouds at the opposite from Haredas's house: it was the perfect place for a hidden research. In fact, when she came in, there was only Picos that were reading some newsletters.  
"Hi!"  
"Oh, Nami. How are going your studies?" Asked him, without see her.  
Picos was a old man, even if for the Weatheria's standard he was one of the youngers, with few hair and without beard.  
Nami made her best innocent smile "Okay, I'll improve…. I'm here to thank you for the informations that you gave me about the War; they were really important to me!"  
Infact, without him, she wouldn't never read the news about Rufy and his message about the meeting after two years.  
Picos made an indifferent gesture "Yeah, don't worry".  
"Maybe you've others informations? It's to keep me update…" tried to say, in a casual tone.  
Picos lowered his half-moon glasses on his nose and continued to work "What kind of information?"  
"Mmh, about the Southern Sea for example… you know, I've some friends the lived there and I'm a bit worried…" she said, to give him an excuse, but in reality he didn't care about it and gave her a deck of cards without a word "These are all the news of that zone, see them"  
"Oh, thank you!"  
Nami passed the whole afternoon to comb through the news, but in fact she hadn't nothing of important to do there: the courtyard of clouds in front of the editorial station was quiet and furrowed by a pleasant wind. It was the penultimate piece of news to hit her: the small picture showed the profile of an unknown island.  
"… the intervention of the Marine has sedated another act claimed by the revolutionary fringe of Baltigo in the Kingdom of Briss, Southern Sea."  
Nami read the post scriptum that Picos inserted when he was skeptical about something. In fact, his writing said "Marine? Voices said that it was Shanks the Red-Hair. Check the sources (and see well the picture)"  
Nami approached to see better the picture and, in fact, she saw the profile of a ship with a red figurehead, in a corner. With a squeak of surprise, she dropped all the news: revolutionaries or Shanks the Red-Hair; in all cases, if the mysterious killer was succeeded, that event would be capable to destroy again the equilibrium of the World.  
**  
Greenstone Island, Boyn Archipelago – Grand Line**  
The small village developed among low hills in the centre of the island and probably it was invisible from the sea. Usopp thought that, if Heracles hadn't appointed it by accident, he wouldn't ever noticed it. He lived in the forest of Greenstone from some weeks and, even if he was busy with the training, he had asked to himself why the island was uninhabited… the fact that Heracles never told him about the village was strange, especially because they passed a lot of time to hunt food to survive.  
"Okay, it's time to take a look!" Exclaimed with enthusiasm, jumping from the big "eatmen" tree; in reality, he spend also a lot of time to invent strange names for the nature, but it wasn't his fault if that place was foolish! The tree on which he was climbed, for example, had big yellow flowers that he discovered to be cannibals – to be precise, after risking death a couple of times. By now, he could almost say that he has become accustomed, but go to a place where he shouldn't look for his life was a relief.  
The village was represented just from two houses made of straw and few undress shops; it seemed a really calm place.  
"Oh, a garage!" He said, really happy to search some products for his weapons. Heracles had taught him to create its own weapons, but he just wanted to find some metals to improve his arsenal. He should have some berry that Nami had given; probably in that case she had forgive him if he had spent s little more.  
"I must find some materials for the super-sling…"  
Since he had read about the war and he had discover that his father had built a weapon more precise then the past, his purpose was to build something that could compete with him.  
His dream was do became a really brave man of the sea. But since some time he had discovered to want demonstrate to his father that he was strong and powerful. But in a small island like that it seemed impossible to improve himself.  
Usopp tried to enter in the officine with his better good smile, but there wasn't nobody.  
"Ehy, is there anybody?" Asked, looking around. It was really strange, because the shop was open. "Ehi?"  
He realized quite easily in the presence of someone behind the counter, so he threw one of his lightning explosive balls that, in contact with the wall, exploded scattering smoke everywhere.  
"Ahh! I give up! "Exclaimed a voice, just when he was ready to throw some other new devilry.  
"Who are you?" Asked Usopp, holding him at gunpoint with the blowgun.  
In reality, it was easy to see who it was, because the photo behind him portrayed him as Augustus, blacksmith. It only remained to understand why he had hidden on his arrival.  
"What do you need? I-I can give you anything you want... "said him, scared to death.  
Usopp lowered his weapon "Why are you so scared?"  
The man fixed at him "You're not from the Real Guard?"  
"The Real Guard?!"  
Augustus looked around, than he closed the doors of the shop. "It's impossible that you're arrived from the sea without a real order!"  
"But..." he stammered, as he was dragged into the back. There were two guys who were playing cards; when they saw them get stood up abruptly, pulling out their weapons.  
"Hey, hey, calm down! I didn't do anything! "Usopp began to exclaim, waving his arms.  
"So what are you doing here?"  
"Where are you from?"  
The two guys sat him by force, and pointed two swords at his throat, making him a cold sweat; tell the whole story was out of the question, but he couldn't even risk death in that way. He had to return to his crew.  
"I'm…"  
"You had said that you're not from the Real Guard, but it's impossible!" Blurted Augustus. "On that island there is a absolute monarchy; nothing move without the approval of the king" he revealed and Usopp thought about Heracles and his doubts about his "approval from the king", but better to not speak about him. He should invent quickly a credible story.  
"And if he is a spy?" Murmured on of the boy, before he could speak.  
"A spy from who?"  
"Maybe from hero! He should be ready to come back!" Answered the other, optimist.  
Augustus made a strange verse "You and your stories! Nobody is coming to help us, begin to understand that!"  
Usopp grinned because maybe he had the perfect idea; he coughed eloquently and began to laugh "The cover are made to remain secret, guys…"  
"What?"  
"Yes, I'm your hero!"  
The three looked at him with expressions from perplexed to upset, especially because bound and with that big nose he wasn't so scary.  
"Sorry if I said that, but you don't seem an hero…" said one of the guy.  
The other nodded "In fact… and then, you got captured to easily to be an hero…"  
Usopp shock the head "My job is to protect you no to defeat you, so I haven't reacted…"  
They looked each other not really convicted, s o Usopp continued "And to not let me find out if there was the Royal Guard, I managed to bring me here in to talk with you. I was a good actor, huh? "He began to boast about, sure of himself.  
Augustus scratched his head "So, where did you live now?  
Usopp decided that he couldn't lie about it because he really didn't know too much about the island, so he said "The forest".  
That time, he noticed the glance that they exchanged and, when they freed him he didn't understand why.  
"G-good… now I can help you…" he said.  
Augustus smiled with too affability "Yes, Sir Hero… if you could, when you return in the Forest, say to the… yes, say that we need help…"  
"What are you talking about?!"  
"The Forest know" answered Augustus, with a reverent tone. "Thank you!" He ended, pushing it out and closing the doors.  
"What the-" began Usopp, deciding was better to return in the Forest; just when he nominated the forest, they had changed attitude. When he told all to Heracles, it seemed he had an heart attack.  
"Did you go to the village?!" He hurled, springing on his feet.  
Usopp nodded, while he was eating a bowl of fruits; he had become an expert at recognizing the healthy ones from the potentially poisonous "Yep, it was creazy…"  
Heracles sighed "What did they say at the end? The exact words... "  
"Hmm, they said that they need help and are waiting".  
"What I feared…"  
Usopp watched him take the sword that he never used "Who were they talking about?"  
"Of me. I'm the hero".  
"Whaaat?!" Exclaimed Usopp, while the food fell. "What had you done?"  
The man shock the head and got up "It's a long story…"  
"I've nothing to do, now!"  
"You should training! Or you had forgotten your crew?" Hurled to him.  
Usopp made a sad expression "Yes, but you know… I could take the "curiosity disease" if you don't explain to me all the story…"  
"You're a little trickster…o kay, but I warn you_ is not a story so interesting. Once upon a time, the island was governed by King Tyno and his family; they were evil and passed all the time to vex the population… I've just freed them: at that time, I was part of the Royal Guard and it was easy to work from the internal to hunt them…"  
Usopp nodded "And now why you're in the forest?"  
"This is the saddest part… some year later, the king returned to the power and I was exiled as a traitor. In realty, I was condemned to death, but I ran away… and, now, I've learned to adapt myself."  
"But wait: if they are hated also by population, what had they done to return to power?" Asked Usopp and Heracles smiled "I don't know!"  
"What?!" Hurled Usopp, getting up.  
The other shock the shoulder "I don't know…. It take too many time to restoring a Government overthrow by the population and few people in the world have that power.  
Suddenly, some screams form the village attracted their attention and they hurried to climb the tallest tree to see: from the sea as flat as a table, a white flag soared in the blue and cloudless sky. Usopp put on his binoculars glasses and he almost had an heart attack at the sight of the logo on the flag.  
"What the hell is doing a ship from the Marine here?!"  
**  
Momoiro island, Kamabacca's Kingdom – Grand Line**  
"Damn'it..." That was the tenth time that he loosed.  
"Are you ok, _darling_?"  
"Don't call me in that way, bastard!" Blurted, jumping up.  
The girl in front of him elegantly crossed the legs and looked at him, smugly "Uh, what a temper! You should learn to relax…"  
Sanji held to give a kick at him and sat down again, looking at the chessboard: now, he knew he was a smart and capable guy, but those… those _women _distracted him! He could hear their stupidgiggles and he knew that they teased him, taking advantage by his weakness.  
"Ok, I give up" said with a whisper, while the audience exulted.  
That island was an hell for him and he had decided to notify to Kuma his thought as soon as possible. He not only had separated from his crew and had stopped their journey, but it was also allowed to throw him in the only island where, in fact, there were no women! Apart from them, of course.  
Everywhere he looked there was nothing that beard, hair, wonderfully feminine clothes worn by people with horrendous body. he didn't want to judge them, but it was all exaggerated.  
'Sanjiii, how about another little game?" Said a little voice among the laughs.  
Another dull tone and he would have exterminated all of them, he could feel it.  
Fortunately for him, after weeks and weeks of agony, someone came to stop the one way game.  
"Girls!" Exclaimed one of them. "Iva is back!"  
All the presents stopped for a moment, then they hurled for the joy, splitting him a tympanum.  
"What…?" He began, but the others had begun to run to the hall, where a little ship were mooring. Sanji rolled his eyes with a snort, though he had nothing to do, so he followed them and remained for a moment surprised by the extravagant clothing of the newcomer.  
"Thanks, thanks!"  
"Who is that?"  
"That? _That?! _That is our queen! The unique and inimitabile!" Blurted Tessa, next to him.  
"You should kneel in front of Ivankov!"  
"Yes, she is merveillous!" Said another with a dreamy air.  
"Ok, ok…" answered Sanji, trying to look at _her: _ha a familiar likeness, also if he didin't remember where or when he had met her; maybe on a newspaper… oh, wait! Sure, she was arrived with Rufy to Marineford from Impel Down!  
"Ohi, you were in Marineford with my Captain!" Exclaimed, talking down the audience.  
"Who had spoken?" Ivankov turned on his side.  
Sanji pushed through the crowd and looked at her "Me".  
"And would you be?" Said Iva, looking at him with curiosity.  
"My name is Sanji and I'm the cook of Rufy's crew".  
"Oh, Rufy eh... yes, I had the pleasure of knowing him..." said Iva, as he walked inside the building.  
"Here the news are stopped… how are he? Where is he?" Asked to him.  
Iva gave him an amused look, then sat down on his chair, glad finally to be at home, even if for a short time "How much impatience..."  
"Answer me, damn you!"  
"Calm down… Mugiwara-boy is good and he is safe" explained to him, thinking about the strange crew with submarine, to Jimbe and Reyleigh; that boy had the amazing power to dragging everyone in his dream, to find help everywhere.  
_In that, he was like his father. _  
Sanji relaxed, visibly relieved.  
"And now tell me: what are you doing on my island, exactly?" Said to him, knowing that maybe he already knew the answer. Sanji began to smoke like every time he was nervous and gave a contemptuous towards "Aha, that damn of Shichibukai!" He muttered, not particularly surprise him: obviously it was Kuma to send him there. But why?  
Ivankov smiled "Oh, so I should think that Bartholomew Kuma send you here?"  
Sanji looked at him, amazed "Do you know him?"  
"Better then you can imagine".  
An explosion distracted them from the speech and both rushed to the large terrace that overlooked the island. A boat was approaching at high speed and low firmness, as if the occupants were not able to handle it. Both Sanji and Ivankov strove to look better and both were astonished just to see them on the bridge.  
"What are_ they_ doing here?" Exclaimed together.


	4. Mugiwara divided II

**Mugiwara divided II**

**Treasure Island, Birds Kingdom – South Blue**

Even if Chopper was used to the squawk of giant birds, it was always a strange effect to hear them from their nests on the uplands: they had voices too powerful that also the gigantic trees of the Dark Forest shuddered at them, warring the tribe that lived on the island.

He lived there sufficiently to know how getting around the situation: the war between birds and men was increased and he didn't really belong to neither of the two reigns.

That morning he had decided to move toward South because he had found some books about "strange dangerous plants" abandoned in a hut of the village. Maybe they could be important for his researches.

"Uff, it's time to rest…" said, wiping the sweat from the brow. He always walked too much in that small island and, having no one to complain with, he passed the time to grit his teeth and became stronger. After all it was the sense f their division: be stronger for the New World, for their dreams. Thinking about the powerful men that Rufy met in Marineford, he had understood that it was fundamental to became more combative.

Only when Chopper sat down and started to eat, thought that it was something strange there: it was too silence.

He lifted and smelled the air; for some motivation, the birds had stopped to squawk and the tree-covered seemed crystallized in the wind.

"Is there somebody?" He begun with a whining, before to remember the promise to be stronger. "Go on!" Hurled, with more power.

A move to his shoulders frightened him, but it was surprisingly one of the soldiers that had tried to eat him at the beginning.

"Ohi, but-" Chopper tried to speak with him, but he ran away in another direction, in the deep forest. That zone was too far from the territory of the tribes, it must be something that prevent them from hunting or searching wood. Chopper decided to explore it, especially because he felt a strange sensation, like somebody observed him.

After a while he heard a rustle and realized that somebody was following him, but for now it wasn't a problem because the mysterious man could attack him in every moment in the last half an hour. Another hour passed and he begun to think that he was lost, but in the end he heard the pounding of the water and saw a light in a huge space among the leaves.

Then a big clearing appeared and Chopper threw in it, hurling form joy and forgetting the mysterious man following. When he raised the look in front of him, he got a shock: a huge Poneglyph was erected in the middle of the clearing, casting golden light on everything. The write was the same mysterious and ancient of them met in Alabasta and Skypiea and obviously he couldn't read it, even if that view continued to instill in him a sort of deeply respect. With a last glance, Chopper sat down in front of the monolith and opened his diary, trying to write all the details that could be useful to Robin: more he wrote more he asked to himself why it was a Poneglyph in a little, apparently useless island like that. At the beginning he thought the his crew were in more interesting places, but now he probably had to change his opinions. After have write all he could, he closed the diary with a little tremor: he would to know something about the Poneglyph, but he knew that there were really few persons capable of understand the language. He decided to return many times to write other details and, with more energy, he got close the Poneglyph and caressed the surface. Then he noted on the left a smaller monolith, white as snow, or better as a gravestone.

Chopper moved to touch the ruined marble surface, trying to read the name weathered, but something stroke his head and all became dark.

**Karakuri Island, Barjimoa Reign – Grand Line**

The island of that crazy doctor of the Navy was the perfect place to beginning his "reborn project". Since Puffing Tom accident, he had decided that, if he couldn't return back, he will have revolutionized his body becoming better. That place was perfect because all the materials or ideas in that laboratory were all but useless or unimportant.

That man must be a real genius.

"Okay, to work!" Exclaimed Franky, looking around.

The plan was to collect all the things that could be useful and, in the meantime, comb the place. He arrived to a big locked gate that he opened only with a deliver punch and he arrived in a long monotonous corridor.

"Uh, cool" he murmured, while looked at the many doors along the corridor. They were different from each other but all were upholstered by a dark material; he began to open all the rooms and began to think that they seemed like bullpen. They were mostly empty but some operating tables and storage closets.

He continued to be shocked by the magnificence and rigor of the place: all seemed to be exactly where it should be, there were many strange instruments and he, in comparison, was a rookie.

The last room was the most interesting: it seemed a real studio, warm and comfortable; in a corner it was a desk full of documents, a schedule and a coat rack with some lab coats.

"And this?" Franky moved a jacket and deeply observed a coat hanged on the knob: it was white and hemmed by strange symbols; they remembered something to him, something that he had buried in a far past and that he didn't remember.

"Bah, is not important" he decided, shrugging his shoulders.

A creak called his attention to the wardrobe where he found a sort of robot. Franky observed at him for a while, indecisive: it was really strange, with an helmet ad a big pair of mustaches. Creazy: somehow the greater genius of World Government passed is time to create a thing like that.

Franky noted that the robot had a little electrical network on the chest, so he let his hand wander and tried to let it work; when his finger push the bottom an explosion made the earth shake.

"What the hell…?" With a last glance at the robot, Franky returned back and arrived at the entrance; the explosions derived from the snowy courtyard that surrounded the laboratory. If there was somebody looking for trouble, it surely wasn't a good news for him.  
In the meantime, outside of the iron dome, somebody was reading apathetically the plaque with the "entrance forbidden" text that Vegapunk himself had knocked in.

"As if it was useful to something…" murmured the stranger, while another man approached to him "He is always a sociable person…" said with irony and the first man directed his gaze to the sky "Stop it, we are here for a mission, isn't? So, there is somebody or not?"

A third man ran toward them, then took a parchment delivered by a bird "Our spies say that some weeks ago somebody fell from the sky, smashing the glasses of the laboratory".

"So, is not about him" ended the first, returning to look at the entrance.

"Even if he is an eccentric guy, I don't believe that he used to enter in his home in that way".

"Another joke and I send you to the headquarter, Tellem. If Vegapunk is not here, why is there anybody in his laboratory? What were they searching?"

The two look at each other.

"The Navy" tried to say one of them, condensing all his hate in that name.

The second shook is head and returned to read the parchment "The letter say to us that a powerful pirate had broken up his crew at four corner of the world and maybe one of them is arrived here…"  
"The Nikyu- Nikyu fruit!" Exclaimed the first. "So is that… You know very well our purpose. It doesn't metter who he or she is, we have to protect the laboratory whatever the cost.

In that moment, the blue hair of Franky appeared at the entrance.

"Here we are…" said one of the three men, then he sprang to attack, followed by the other man. Franky saw them in time to stop their rods attack with the arms; he was strong, but he felt the recoil of their powerful blow and he understood that it wasn't a normal wood.

"What the hell do you want?"

One of the hooded twirled the rod on his head and took an attack status "This place is not your business. Go away and you will be okay".

Franky grinded "No way! Weapon Left!" Hurled, while is right wrist opened to fire a powerful cannon shot that the two escaped easily.

While the three fought, the first and wiser of mysterious men observed with interest the strange blue-haired stranger; when one of his colleague started to launch the final attack, he hurled "Stop it!"

The other two paralyzed "Kauma?"

The first man called Kauma glanced at Franky for a while, then he dropped a hint to his men and disappeared toward the city center. Franky hadn't no time to say or do something that the other two followed their leader.

"Okay, what's going on?"grumbled really confused.

"Master?" A squeaky voice to his shoulders made him turn his head, but nobody was here… or he believed, because a little iron hand drew down his pants: it was the robot oof the wardrobe, that he tried to put in operation.

"Oh…" murmured Franky, not understanding what to do.

"Master go away?" said again the little robot, pointing the street where the three men were disappeared. Franky raised an eyebrow and looked at te same direction.

Okay, what was that history?

**White Ship – Some unknown point of Grand Line**

Robin observed with frozen apathy the shutter of waves on the light wood of bulkhead; the last news were too difficult of doubts to be analyze with an holistic approach: the breakup of the crew, that strange island, the rescue mission, the Revolutionary Army, the war of Marineford and Rufy message… things throw one above others without explanations to glue the facts, without a way to follow.

"Where are we going" Tried to ask o one of militants, even if she know that it was useless.

"We wait for the leader" just he said, smoothly. It wasn't the same orderly and respectful subordination of the Navy nor the scornful inferiority of Baroque Works; it was like a simple fact: all contributed, all were bonded by the same ideal, but the one that know where to go and what to do was Dragon. And everybody seemed happy for that.

Robin sighed, but some steps on the main deck said to her that she had no longer to wait: with emotion, hidden under her usual cold expression, Robin saw Monkey D. Dragon approach to her with sure step.

"Nico Robin, finally I have the pleasure to meet you" began the man with his deep voice, shake hands with her. Robin agreed without hesitation, thinking that it was a very glacial hand. "I can say the same".

Dragon nodded with a grin "For me, I can say that I'm following you in a month of Sundays" said, inviting her to sit down with him on the stern. When he saw her puzzled glance, began to smile "Sorry, I never go in my office, I need to keep the watch over the sea".

To Robin few words and a shake hands were enough to understand why that man was so followed: everything in him spread a sort of power and she wasn't sure it was about Haki but a strong capacity to seduce people. She thought it was the same capacity that she found in Rufy but in a latent way; Dragon knew how to use it rather than Rufy that was still naive.

"To analyze people is the first step to understand them" he said, tripped her.

"Why did you observe me?" She tried to ask, using the informal version of speech.

Dragon simile enigmatically "I still do it. I can say that I'm interesting in these forms of analyzing people… but you are a child of Ohara, it couldn't be in a different way".

She was startled and, involuntarily, she stole a nasty look at him "Did you know my mother?"

"Sure" he answered calmly. "And also all the other academics… that island was a real concentrate of genius".

Robin started to hear her heartbeat become faster; she swallowed a bit of saliva, frightened of what she wants to ask "You… you know the history? The _real history?"_

Dragon looked at her, then he crossed one's hand and tilted his head slightly to the left "You want to know about the Ohara's Buster Call? Or the discoveries of your mother and the others?"

Robin nodded slowly, while the man sighed "Yes, I know all" answered, "But I don't say nothing to you".

The sea gushed between them with a deafening noise, sucking in all the silence.

"Don't get me wrong, we can stay here and I can say all to you. Probably it should take me just un hour, but you're sure that you want to know in that way?"  
He attached her and Robin closed her eyes for a while, smiling while the heart calm down "No, I don't want. I've already had my temptation in Shabondi and I've already take my decision: I want to continue the trip and I'll discover all that I have to".

Dragon smiled as he already knew the answer "I think that Silver Reyleigh agreed with you".

Robin opened the eyes and thought that the man knew more then she and the world believed.

"All truths in due time, Nico Robin. Even if the history is always the same, who hold it can have the power to use it as much as he like, till destroy it".

They looked at each other for a long time and Robin nodded again, because she truly understand: probably all her life, her existence and all her view of the world, her relations… all depended from that history. How Dragon say to her, in an hour she could easily know all that and not after too dangers or failures or delusions.

Sure, the history was the same, but it should be the same?

"Rufy" Dragon suddenly said, as he remembered something only at that time.

The smile disappeared from Robin lips "We are been divided" explained regretfully. However she noted a sort of glint in Dragon eyes, fast to disappear; it seemed like he knew.

"I know" just replied, then he continued "As I said, I'm following you from long time".

Obviously she hadn't think about the relation between her captain and Dragon, even if she should do it: he was is son, it was normal that Dragon followed his adventures.

The man sighed and approached the bulkhead.

"He is okay. Rufy is very strong" Robin had the will to reassure him about Rufy but without be officious. Dragon briefly smiled while observed the sea, then it was silence for a while.

"We'are going to Baltigo. There is our headquarter" began to explain and Robin approached to him. "I've called all the generals for an extraordinary meeting. The last news demand new actions" continued, then he looked at her "You can participate if you want. You should know many top secret informations, many dangerous informations from whole the world. Maybe you should know some events came from years ago, belonged to the Dark Era".

"Do you mean the Lost History?" She gave another jump: to stay with that man was a infinite source of knowledge.

Dragon smiled with indulgence "Yes, the most call it like that. But I want to advise you: only the high positions of my army can participate. If you enter in the system, you have to remain in the system".

"If I don't accept?"

"I'll go ashore you wherever you want, you can return to your crew or whatever. But this meet doesn't keep happening again. I've not the habit to ask twice".

Then a militant called Dragon and Robin stayed alone to think about it. She couldn't remain on Dragon's ship to become a revolutionary, but she could be useful at a distance, during her trip with her crew. And then there were the two years… two years of waiting. Robin continued to think about the proposal while she wandered on the deck; she could also talk to the other militants to understand better her role.

"How do the generals meeting is, do you know that?" asked to one militant that rescued her. He ended to drink form a sake hip flask and nodded "Sure! I've never participated to one of these meeting, because only the Seven of the Devil can".

"The Seven of the Devil?"

"Yes, they are the generals of revolutionary army!" exclaimed, pointed to Dragon. "Excluding the boss, obviously".

Robin nodded "Seven men aren't few for a world revolution?

The militant and another near him looked at each other "Girl, these men worth for fifty!"

"They are among the most powerful men in the world! Alone, they control huge shares of world!"

So the revolutionary generals were seven, seven powerful men. To think about the name, she thought that they all had a devil fruit. She was sure that one of them was the man near Rufy to Marineford, that Emporio Ivankov.

"Watch out! They attack us!" Somebody hurled from her right.

Robin looked at the horizon and saw some fast mechanic ships, driven by navy men.

"They are soldiers!" Exclaimed one of militants, shooting in the air.

"No, they don't".

In fact, it was really strange: some of them wore the typical uniform of Navy, but ships and arms were different. Dragon moved with usual phlegm, then he stopped to look at them as they were noisy midges.

"It isn't the Navy. Is him that attack us. Shoot!"

The fire collision was spectacular , but Robin continued to observe Dragon: he was statuary, a sort of fleeing irritation was shining through his body. Then the sky became darker, templates of clouds condensed above their heads and faraway thunders roar everywhere. The sea calm down, painting himself of storms silver glares.

Robin continued to look at him sure that was all is fault, but Dragon was still motionless and static.

"But all this is his fault?" Hurled to a militant, while the thunders become stronger.

The man shook his shoulders as he doesn't want to answer and approach the leader "Dragon, what do we do with the girl?

Dragon turn the head toward her and Robin, for a while, noted his glassy-eyed as he was blind; then he flinched and returned to see her "Which is your decision, Nico Robin?"

Robin nodded "Okay, I want join you".

"Good, but now you have to go. Maden, take the faster ship and bring her to the first island. Robin, wait for my signal" said to her, but she disagreed "I can fight!" hurled, while the rain began to fall down and the thunders were so strong that she couldn't hear herself.

"No, you aren't useful here. I'll call you in a few days, I promise. Now, go!"

She let herself be carried away by the militant, then she turn the head toward Dragon but he was already disappeared; she seemed to glimpse his coat on the sea, then she saw one of the small ships blow up. But it was impossible, because that means he could fly.

"What?"

"Go!" Maden hureld and, after half an hour, all was over. The militant said the last advices then he put the sea, while she remained to observe the sea.

For some reasons, it was impossible to notice the storm or the clouds in the sky; from here all was sunny and perfect. Although she was strong, independent and controlled, she felt lost for a while: her crew was her first and true lifeline in the life and she lost it; if the brief interlude on the island of hard labours doesn't tire her, the dialogue with Dragon had opened old hurts. Now she had to wait and all will going to be alright.

**Nakamura Island, Herahettania Kingdom – Grand Line**

"This is our last chance,

We necessitate the Big Sea's lords.

The World Government put pressure on us.

We can't protect ourselves.

We necessitate the Big Sea Lords".

After all, Brook already asked himself how it was possible that a so powerful community without a problem in the world – but the innocents' kidnapping, of course – lived in such sad mood. He stayed in that cage since many days and he had noted that they hadn't a combative status; so he doesn't understand the fair of the population.

"Sorry, I-" tried to say, but the guard shook the bars with the hilts of katana "Silence!"

"Sir, sir!" A man arrived running and the two guards lighted up "Finally an answer!" The opened the letter with anxiety but, progressively they read, their expressions became darker. Brook suspected to see them pass out.

"Oh no, it wasn't any possibility!" Said the taller.

"What? Why? What do he answer?"

"He can't risk to antagonize the World Government in such delicate moment. We'are trapped!"

The expression of two men was in such a manner that Brook forgot to be arrested and thought to help them. He stretched to read the letter, but he saw just the capital letter of the addressee, an S, and the first row: "This is our last chance…"

While he was trying to read, the captain of the guards – the man who order his kidnapping – approach to them "So, what news soldiers?"

"Oh yes, the a-answer…" stuttered the first, pointing the letter.

The captain got a nasty glance and took the letter, turning white "No help? Not even them?"

"They don't want to risk with the Government, after a war ended in such bad way…"

The captain thought for a while, then grinned "The unique solution is to contact the revolution" murmured like the whisper itself was too high.

Brook tried to understand better: with "revolution" they mean the revolutionary army of Dragon? And why?

"Sir, it's impossible to search them, if they want are they that find us".

"Yes, it's true, but there is another way… you're Brook the Humming, right?" said to Brook, that started to laugh with is strange laugher "Yohohoh, yes!"  
"So I think we can prepare something for revolutionaries ì. We have to find them" answered the captain, while its soldiers start to think that he had became crazy.

Brook didn't understand nothing, but he thought to take advantage of the situation "I'll do, but to one condition" said, but the captain shook his head "You're our prisoner. You can't impose conditions!"

"The condition is to know why you need my help" ended the skeleton, crossing one's arm. "Rather, no revolution". It wasn't in his habit to be so impulsive, but he had understood that, to stay alife, it was needed to be stronger. He had to return to the crew and Laboon. The men looked at each other, then the captain sighed "Okay, it's done".

An ancient _Green Land_

with _Long Arms_ that throw itself in the deep of the Sea,

Possessed a young and vigorous _Power _

that disappeared one time in a dark sky.

So, the tribe of solemn gait ended in the waters of a _cruel sea:_

Wearing a _White and Blue dress_, he arrived to wrench pieces of beach

And came back with the same violence towards the _Holy sea bottom of red soil_.

Nothing could the ancient Green Land, but make echoes its pain

in the blue sky of Grand Line, hoping for an answer by the _Great Traveler_

that many peoples and lands had still free.

In the past he has surely made better, but it wasn't easy to orchestrate with a weapon on the head. His composition wasn't the best for the secrecy, but he doubted that somebody could understand the hidden message, because the whole world was distracted by the consequences of the war.

"It's okay?"

"Mmh, it can work. Send it far and wide! We need an answer as soon as possible!"

Long days and long months passed in a nervous waiting; in his little cage, Brook observed the expressions of his jailers and thought about the hidden message: naturally they hadn't said to him who they searched, but it wasn't really difficult: the Green Land with long arm was their reign and the man with blue/white dress maybe was the Navy; but he hadn't no idea about the Great Traveler.

A morning, at dawn of the fifth day, somebody hurled about a ship: it was little, made by white wood, and without flags.

All the little group of Longarm Tribe arrived on the beach with Brook in handcuffs while the stranger docked. He was tall and thin with strange cat-eyes yellow as a lighthouse in the night.

"So, this help message is yours?"

NDA

Aloha people!

So, some few words: I know that I'm always late and maybe I'm talking to myself, but… I have to know that I'm trying to learn and improve English (I hope you can see a little difference from the beginning) and I hope to be faster.

I discovered that many words from One Piece world are really different from Italian to English, so I tried to use the correct item. For example, I've learnt that is "South Blue" and not "Meridional Sea" XD Or, I don't know, "Ponegryph" and not "Poignee Griffe"… is really interesting.

So, thank you to the few (crazy) guys that follow me, I love you! See ya!


	5. Following the thread

**Following the thread**

_"They can call me demon or monster…_

_But the truth is that I can't be strong forever._

_What's wrong in saving the life of a young boy_

_And to retreat in peace?"_

**Edward Newgate**

_"Now I'm ready to accept my destiny._

_Whatever it will be._

_If somebody let his hands wander me, I'll shake it…_

_But I am also ready to suffer the sentence of those who want to judge me._

_I don't want hold out. It shouldn't be right for nobody." _

**Portuguese D. Ace**

* * *

The islands of New World seemed all strange, especially from the beaches. In the last years he and the crew went rarely ashore, because the Moby Dick had everything they could desiderate and the conquest wasn't an interesting thing for them.

It was like that when the old man was alive.

"Ohi Marco, what are you doing?"

Marco fixed the profile of the big ship, stable among the waves; it could be a bullshit, but for him seemed that the ship was abandoned as a wreck. Marco had promised to old man and Ace that he would have keep that ship, that jolly roger, that name… they were the crew of Whitebeard, forever.

"Nothing, I'm thinking…" said, raising. "We have to go, you have done with these marble craps?"

"Oh, calm down. They are beautiful!" Rakuyou exclaimed.

"Yes… Red-haired Shanks have made a perfect job and the place is perfect!" said Namyuul, in the shadow of the two big graveyards that Shanks had wanted.

Yes, Shanks had made a good job even if he didn't expected; Marco and the crew were grateful, but for him two pieces of marble weren't enough to contain the spirit of freedom of a real pirate. Newgate was in all their hearts, in the ship, in the air and sea, nothing else mattered. And Ace… Marco turned the head to fix the smaller graveyard with a stab in the stomach: if the death of the old man was plausible because of his role in the world, that of Ace brought him to think about the crap of political jokes, the intrigues and the hypocrisy;

If the death of the old man was for his greatness, that of Ace was only for his birth.

It was too difficult.

With a sigh, he remembered suddenly all the conversations that they had made about his parentage and his nasty gaze. It was the gaze of who know to be still dead.

They had discovered the identity of Ace's father only because of the words of that Kaidou bastard. During one of usual secret meeting between the two Emperors, the jerk decided to insult the captain of second fleet.

"I can't believe it" he said with a grin. "Newgate, do you know that you put under your roof the son of a real bastard? Roger is turning in his water grave, now!"

Ace don't said anything. Not even a world.

_Marco knew what he was thinking about, it couldn't be easy to have an heritage like that._

_"So your old was Roger, eh?" He tried to say, leaning on the door. _

_Ace raised the pick of the hat to fix him for a while, but he remained on the bed "Yes"._

_"And the woman?"_

_"My mother was a saint with a lot of patience" sighed, observing the roof._

_"Do you meet her?"_

_"No, but I think it should be to tolerate him"._

_Marco grinned, then ended to peel the apple and throw it to him "You know, the pirates are always a big mess, especially when they are fathers. For experience, I can say that you've lost nothing. To me and to the crew is not important, your family is here now"._

_Ace tried to smile, but Marco was already gone. _

Their friendship was born and grown in that way: between wordplays and random jokes.

He got mad to know that is foul was the blood in his veins.

"Marco, are you here?"

He flinched to drive away the demons of his thoughts and saw Bramenko that were talking about something.

"Wait, what? Sorry, can you repeat?"

"I was saying: what's the plan now?"

"I think that we should go on the ship, leave that place and go where the sea want".

"Okay. Did you hear Marco? Go!"

Marco followed Bramenko and looked at the crew "What do you doing?" tried to ask but, when they don't answer, sighed "I'll not be the captain".

The others look at each other "A whole fleet can't head herself…"

"I'll not be your captain. He have already a captain, even if he isn't here with us" repeated strongly. Before somebody could add something, a little sail boat appeared at the flat horizon to place side by side the Moby Dick.

"Who will be?"

Ayasu put on the binoculars and made a squeak "Red-haired Shanks! Shanks and all his crew!"

"Why is he already here?"

The last time they saw him was a month earlier, when the war was ended and they had buried Ace and the old man. He was really strange that time, but Marco was too sad to pay attention to him. Meanwhile some voices about him began to circulate… no reassuring voices form every corner of the world. He had the feeling that The Loop was closing on Shan's neck.

They decided to wait that the Red Force anchor on the beach, but they understood that only one person was approaching on a lifeboat: Shanks was stand on the wood to observe the shore; that time he was an emissary, even if he had a vague idea about the message; the hand that held the letter seemed burn in contact with the revelations that the letter could contain. However, he had always considered Newgate a smart man, even if with a terrible nature, so he doubted he could made something to put in danger the family.

_"Soon it will be time" said Whitebeard, while the sea waves swallowed up all the noise._

_Shanks ended to drink his sake, without say a word._

_"Did you remember what we talk about, right? Boy, I'm talking to you!" _

_Shanks looked up him, furiously "I don't want ot talk about this"._

_Newgate laugh with his powerful laughter, shaking lands and muscles in the same way "Instead we have to talk about it. You have made a promise"._

_They look at each other for a while, than the red-haired boy raised up and turned away "It isn't my intention to break it"._

_The man nodded "Roger said the truth about you"._

_"What?"_

_"He said that he could entrust his life to you without any doubts". _

_Shanks lowered the straw-hat to hid the gaze "Yes, he had trust in everyone"._

_"No, it isn't true. He trusted in you. And I want to put my family in your hands"._

_Whitebeard saw Shank's shoulders have a shake for a laugh "Now you have trust in my power?"_

_"I have always done it, stupid boy… now, turn back. Give this letter to Marco, when it will be the right time…" Whitebeard gave him a letter without a name. "He'll understand"._

_Shanks shook his head "Nobody understand these things"._

_"It's the destiny of those that know too much. And you too will be destined to be alone and misunderstand". _

_Shanks hid the letter under the coat and sighed "This will be a little your fault". _

_Newgate laughed again "I know. But I wouldn't trust my world to anyone else"._

_The red-haired touched his hat and went towards his ship "Try to die in a decent way, at least" said, as greeting. _

_"Gurararara, go away!" _

Shanks smile thinking about the promise he had to accept: _"when I'll be dead, take all! Not a single land or brother or son must be left to those bastards of Navy or to people like Teach! You're the one that can do that, don't try to disappoint me!"_

"You were only a crazy old man…" dais to himself, while set foot on the beautiful Roadend Island's beach. "Ehi, you!" exclaimed to the shocked group in front of him.

"Why are you here?" Asked Marco.

Shanks sighed, try to find a determinedness that he doesn't felt "I'm here to talk with you. Alone".

Everybody looked at each other for a while, then they dispersed without say it again. They were a good crew, he had to admit it.

"How are you?" Shanks said, when they were finally alone.

Marco sat down at his side and threw a stone in the calm sea "We survive, if you know what I means".

Shanks nodded "Yes. It isn't easy to lost a captain that was as a father, I know the feeling very well…"

Marco looked at him, thinking about the destiny joke: he passed whole years to hear about Ace's pains on an absent father, while there was someone that lived with the right to call him "father".

"Can I ask you something?"

Shanks looked at him for a long time in silence, then nodded "Sure".

"Why Roger doesn't love Ace?" Asked briefly, before lost the courage. He was making some thorny and intimate questions to one of the most powerful men in the world about a real Legend. It was strange.

But he knew that Ace wanted to know, he knew that is life was been marked by that question.

Shanks passed the hand among the long hair and sighed "Ace talk to you about this?"

"No" answered the blond guy, looking the sea. "But I know that he has thought about it for the whole life".

"Roger loved Ace more then everything. He often repeated, when he believed we don't listen, that he was the most beautiful think he had created" explained with a sad laugh. "Ironic: I know now that Ace has suffered for his absence and I know that he has envied our relationship, but I still remember that burning envy when he talked about that boy of South Blue… he always said that he had the face of the unique woman he had ever loved, he said that he had the same fire in the eyes and that he wanted to take him across the sea with him when Ace was grown up… don't misunderstand me, I always was very sad for Ace, but, at the time, I was only one of many sea orphans looking for a family and Roger was our father and our family. But, even if he shared his thought with us in the day, Ace and Rouge shared his dreams in the night".

Marco accepted with proper discretion these words, but he couldn't stop "So, why…?"

"Because some people are destined to other things" Shank answered with deep sadness. "Some people are destined to know, to understand, to do things that will separate them from a less legendary but more happy future…" said, raising.

Marco made the same thing, without look at him: he could feel that Shanks got angry, but he wasn't sure to know the reason: for Ace, for Roger or for himself?

"It is been Roger's destiny and, maybe, also Ace's" continued as he has read in his mind.

"How do we know?"

"It's impossible until it's too late" replied Shanks in a sad mood. "Sometimes it's the destiny itself that help you to understand, under forms that you can't expect" continued, passing him the letter of Whitebeard.

"What's this?

"Maybe your destiny" said Shanks, then he went towards the lifeship.

For a moment, Marco had the absurd but distinct feeling that he wouldn't see him again.

When Shanks arrived on the Red Force he began to breathe.

"So, what's going on?" Asked Ben Beckmann that knew him too well.

"It will be the time to answer…" replied Red-Haired Shanks, rest on the bulkhead.

Ben approached to him, a little worried: since the battle with Kaidou, Shanks' conditions got worse; there aren't only the wounded, even if his body was marked as a terrifying map, but all the rest: the promise made to Whiteberd to protect his territory, the worries came from the South Blue, now Marco and the crew… for months Shanks doesn't sleep more than two hours for night. He was a good first officer, ready to pander to him and his ideas, he knew that it was becoming dangerous.

"Do you want to sleep a little?"

"No, he have another important thing to do".

Ben scowled, clamping the jawbone "We are turning like crazy spinning top since months. We have to stop for a while, You know that" said, strongly. "Also the others are too tired and they begin to ask what's going on" murmured to his ear, while the captain looked at the crew. They looked at each other, then Shanks nodded "Okay, give the word to dock in Estate Island, I go to sleep".

The smile of Ben was so big that Shanks almost made the same thing "Okay, Captain! Guys, we dock!" Hurled and the others began to make the usual noise.

Shanks shook the head, but murmured a "thank you" to his first officer that answered with a snort without importance.

Despite of the clouds that concentrated on his head day by day, his crew continued to fallow him with good mood and trust. Once, Roger was right when said that the most important thing that a man can gain in this world was a good crew: "It help you to not die inside", he said.

However, many times he wanted to sat alone with his wounded and his duties: he had always known that, a day, what he had understood, what he had listened or seen, would came to ask a tribute. Just he doesn't believed would been so soon.

Shanks closed the door and passed the hands on the face, thinking about all: also the death of Whitebeard shouldn't be so soon or in that way… the Navy doesn't know what they had done yet. After ten minutes he discovered that he wasn't alone in the room: a big crow with silver's wings looked at him in silence, while the big dark eyes.

Obviously, he knew who sent to him a crow and it wasn't a good thing.

Drakul Mihawk has sent his emissary only three times and there were always bad news.

"Okay, let me read" said, resigned.

The crow nodded and took him the letter to which it was tie something… after a while he understand that it was a little cloth square with a green symbol that he knew very well.

The letter had a single row: "It's begin. See you at the usual place".

Shanks thought that probably he could sleep as dead, following that rhythm; looked at the cloth square a the strange feeling in the heart, so he went out.

When Ben looked at his expression, doesn't wait for explanations or excuses and hurled to the crew "Guys, we've changed the course!" then he noted the crow and continued "Threepwood Island!"

Shanks put the hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry. I have to do this".

"Yes. Too bad that you don't remember to have some duties also to your crew, before to the rest of the world" said Ben.

Usually, Ben followed Shanks in all his adventures without a word; his choice to take over of Newgate as powerful Emperor made him proud but not happy, because he knew that it should be more dangerous. But he was his first admiral, it was his assignment and his honor. However, all the times, he had some problems to accept all the regards that Shanks had for Drakul Mihawk: all the crew, and him that was the custodian of Shanks' secrets, didn't know the nature of their relationship. It was a thing to which go crazy.

"All the things at time, Ben" heard him whisper, while he went away.

Pity that Ben felt their time have out.

The meetings with Mihawk were always on a specific island; Threepwood was a deserted island, with a soil red as fire and a windy weather. Plus, it was disabitated, so perfect for their old sword fight. Even now Shanks asked to himself how Mihawk could reach him if his reign was so far. However, when the sun reached the perfect zenith, he arrived in his flutter coat, with the Yunkou that projected a disturbing huge cross on the soil.

"You're punctual" he said with a surprised infection.

Shanks smiled "You too, but I hadn't any doubts".

The strange Mihawk's eyes diverted for a while to the Red Force, where all the crew was observing at him on the main deck. The brilliant Ben Beckmann especially, was crossing one's arms with the hand dangerously near the stock of the rifle.

Mihawk smiled ironically "Your men seems happy".

"It is been a difficult week" replied Shanks and, at that word as a signal, all the others went in the inside to leave them alone.

"So…" began the Red-Haired, but Mihawk stopped him with a freezing glance and threw a piece of a flag in front of him. "This is what it remains about the men that attacked me today".

The flag was obviously black and the jolly roger showed two crossing green bones and a skull with a mane. Kaidou's symbol.

"The king of beasts attacked you?!"

Shanks used the stupid nickname that Kaidou had given himself to mock him. He knew superficially why he called himself like that, but he had never seen him. Maybe only Whitebeard had seen all Kaidou's powers. Even in their "meeting" pre-war they had just kidding. Fight with another Emperor wasn't easy.

He knew that, preferring to freeze their fight for better time, and Mihawk knew that, seeing at him as to ask what the hell he had to do now.

"It seems like that, yes. Do you remember our treaty, isn't?"

Of course he remembered it. He and Mihawk had decided a treaty to not fight many years before: nobody will attack the other or will sustain a war to his side against other forces. That had been the base for his entrance in the Seven Sealords that made Mihawk immune also to Navy. The status quo was maintained because each treaty doesn't fight openly with others and especially with Mihawk's plans for the future. However, observing his expressions, something was change.

"Kaidou offered me something really interesting" continued Mihawk, stopping his mental flow.

"Really? And what did he want in exchange?"

"Your death".

* * *

The alarm spread so strong in all the kingdom that many people thought about an attack from the lands above the sea level. Jinbe, the sea cavalier, understood too late what was going on and now the situation went worse: the Real Guards were already given the start to the research and he knew very well that they didn't stop in front of nobody.

"What's happening?" asked, even if he was sure to know the answer because the throne was empty.

"The Princess was disappeared!" hurled somebody.

"We need to find her! It's our priority!" was saying a big shark-man: he was called Aorshi and was the vice-captain of Real Guard. Only in that moment he saw Jinbe and walked toward him with a desperate expression "Jinbe!"

"Shiraoshi was disappeared?" Asked with as calm that Araoshi could thought that the kidnapping was his fault.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm been called".

"Yeah… I didn't want to disturb you, but the captain wanted your point of view about the situation" replied a not so happy Araoshi.

It wasn't a secret that he hated Jinbe for the strong influence that he had on the court and the Princess. It was him to convince Whitebeard to defense the island and it was always him that protected the island even if nobody doesn't understand how it was possible without the alliance with a most powerful pirate. Despite of doubts, the life was more peaceful after Mineford's war and Jinbe was seen like an hero.

"Ohi, Jinbe!" The captain Ataku approached to him with a suspicious look "Better to go in a less crowded place".

Jinbe scowled because in the past it wasn't necessary to be cautious in his kingdom: everybody were so happy about the real family that the idea of doing something bad to them was ridiculous.

"What's happening?" asked again and Ataku sighed "As you will understand, the princess is disappeared… but this is only the last dowel of something else. I feel strange signals in the water…"

Jinbe looked at him doubtfully, but the captain rarely lost the control.

"What did we know until now?"

"Nothing. You know that the princess lived in the blue tower and the hall is always under control by black guards. I've made some investigations and I know that they had patrolled minutely each entrance… but you know their accuracy better than me, you are their General".

Jinbe nodded "I've decided personally their shifts. Nobady could go away without my approval…"

"And the door was closed by the external. However the princess was disappeared just half an hour ago, without any track. I've sent the real guards but nobody has seen nothing. The kidnappers are good and fast".

The following silence was embarrassed, because Jinbe knew very well what he was asking him.

"And if…?"

"No".

"Nobody? Even a soldiers without a deep training, maybe got angry with you or the Order?"

Jinbe looked at the sea "No, any member of my Order could blemish d betrayal, I can bet my life".

"But they alone protect the princess. She can go outside only with them".

"I know".

Other minute of silence passed, then Jinbe sighed, thinking that it could be a very difficult situation. " Let it to me".

"I trust blindly in you and also the King, do you know that".

Jinbe nodded and moved towards a little corner palace that, black and silver, stood out among the white palaces of the city. Jinbe entered with a heavy mood and any fishermen stood at attention "General!"

"Resting position, guys. I guess you received the last news for the court…" began and saw the furtive looks among his men. "It's a very serious situation and not only because the princess is disappeared, but also because she is disappeared when my men were in shifts".

"Sir!" Said the soldier that seemed the highest degree. "We don't know how it was possible, but somebody had struck Sandor. We think it's the same person that had kidnapped the princess, Sir".

"Really? Where is Sandor?"

Sandor was a sperm whale-men that barely could enter in the bed customized for him. He was the biggest soldier of the Order and he was among the powerful fishermen in the island. To strike him wasn't a joke.

"Guy, how are you?"

"Sir, I'm sorry…"

"Don't be worried about it. Just: Do you who strike you?"

The other shook the head, Jinbe was disappointed but patted him on the back "Now try to sleep that you have to return on your work!" concluded and the other smiled "Yes, Sir".

All the other member of the order looked at each other "Now, which are the orders?"

"Nothing. Go to captain Ataku: he will say to you in which zones begin the researchers. You have to collaborate with the real guard".

Despite their uncertain looks, they nodded and went out. The real guard controlled the protection of the whole court, the nobles and the real family, but the princess was under the protection of the Order. And only under them.

The two guards don't get along, especially because the first didn't understand why it needed of different guards for the princess.

By the way, when they went out, Jinbe could return to breathe: the truth was that he had recognized those wounded, because he himself had many of them when he was one of the Order. Controlling that nobody was looking at him, he went towards the forbidden area, closed by a high wall: in the inside, in a perfect green square of land, it was a huge tree with thick yellow and red leaves and a white trunk that branched off as far as skim the end of the sea and big bubbles passed through the leaves up to the sky beyond the sea.

The Eve's tree was one of the most magnificent beauty of the nature.

Jinbe went there when the present life was too dark to be lighted; that tree had the power to give life, but also to instill serenity and clarity in the heart.

Jinbe fixed at it for a while, then he called "Shiroisame".

"Yes, Sir. I'm here".

Shiroisame was a white shark-man with very white skin and dark eyes without eyelids; he wore a total black uniform that discovered only the pale and silver hands.

"That we were frightened of is done: they are returned and they had kidnapped the princess. You have to follow their trackes and discover what they want".

Shiroisame nodded "and the guards?"

"Let they continued to search, they will don't find her easily. You answer only to me, ok?"

"Yes" he murmured, then disappeared, leaving Jinbe to thought what it could mean their return back in the world. He know that some histories needed to be ended in some ways, but he hoped that history in particular doesn't destroy them all.


	6. The Supernovas Report

**Supernovas Report**

**Supernovas Report**

**Under the direct monitoring of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.**

**From B4 Base in the New World to Headquarter Marineford. **

_News from Grand Line related that two crews of the "Worst Generation" trying to reach Raftel have been definitely destroyed._

_Capone "Gang" Bage (138.000.000 Beri), Firetank pirates' Captain, has been arrested offing Coral Island._

_Even thought missing, we consider defeated also Jewelry Bonney (140.000.000 Beri). Her ship, the Pink Tornado, is been found in Haldon Bey, totally destroyed._

_No information about the other "Supernovas"._

* * *

That damned trip seemed infinite. Bagy began to think that was better to stay in Impel Down rather than to playing around.

"Ehi you! Where are we going?" moaned, looking at his absurd travel companions. From Marineford's war he had obtained a ship and many men certain that he was a powerful pirate, and it wasn't a bad thing: what a shame that he had also inherited the "Candle-man" with strange ideas.

Mr. Three, from his point of view, continued to sip his cocktail in a lounger with a laid-back attitude "Don't look at me, it isn't an idea of mine".

Bagy snorted "So, what-" but, before he could end the phrase, the other queer dude of Impel Down appeared whirling like a spinning top.

The bad feeling about his destiny returned to him "I can't belive it… oh you! It's your fault our change-route?"

Von Clay turned to fix at him and grinned "Who, me?"

Obviously, it means "yes".

Bagy decided to not kill him just because he needed to know which was his plan, especially after Marineford: he doesn't give a fuck about Emperors and wars, he had to search John's treasure and that was all. It was his dream from forever and in no case he would change his mind.

But unfortunately he had now many men fully convinced about his important place in the world's fate, so he needed to string them along. And then there are the two…

Bagy turned to look at and Von Clay that argued about something and sighed; if the first didn't have no intention to go away, the second was a total enigma. In fact, Bagy doesn't understand why he was on their ship.

"Ehi you, why you don't take your ship for you and go whatever you want?" Bursted.

"Gahahahah, my ship was sunk in the ocean many years ago!" Said Von Clay with a laugh.

Mr. Three sighed "Screamingly funny…"

"I don't give a fuck of your ship, get off of mine!" Said Bagy, losing patience.

"This is _not _your ship. It's a Navy's ship that you have stolen… if you want, we can lead it back…" hinted at him Von Clay.

"Okay, okay…" Bagy give away to him, the he saw a seagull that pointed at them.

"It seem a message…" said Mr. Three, taking the letter. "It's for you, Bagy".

"Really? Give it to me!" Bagy pulled out the letter from his hands and read quickly, without believe his own's eyes.

"From who?" Tried to ask Von Clay.

"Form a certain Trafalgar Law".

"One of Marineford's Supernovas?The Heart Pirates' Captain?"

"That guy…"

"And what he want?" Mr. Three, confused.

"An alliance".

* * *

The New World wasn't so complicated if you understand how to act. You have to remember that it was a little more dangerous and crazy that other places. And Kidd lived in all that like a God.

"Which are the orders, Captain?" Said Kira and saw Kidd lick slowly his lips as a cat. They had reached that strange egg-like island for an unknown motivation, but it seemed very important for the Captain. From many days Kidd had a mysterious behavior and Kira knew that now they had reached the point.

"Few days and he will know exactly where to go" answered Kidd, while he read a mysterious message: the meeting was at three o'clock on the beach; he looked at the hand clock that signed the two.

"It's time to go. Few minutes and he will have the levelling route form here to One Piece. Nobody could stop us".

Kira's eyes ignited under the hood "Yes! I call the crew!"

The place of the meeting was disquieting like the whole island: it was a huge egg with pale and clay soil, no vegetation and dark air. If it wasn't for some birds, it seemed deserted. The only abodes were made of straw and mud.

"Captain…" said somebody, frightened.

The caw of crows in the silence seemed menacing.

"Shh!" Said Kidd, keeping an eye out the air. He doesn't trust nobody out of his crew and sure he doesn't trust in the cheapskate pirate that he had to meet. However it's worth the trouble: the object that he must deliver to him was so important that he would risk many battles to have it.

"Be ready for everything, guys" said to his crew, looking around. Other few minutes and he would know.

A quarter to three, ten minutes to three, five…

At three o'clock something exploded and the crush ran over them, throwing many to a great distance.

"Somebody attack us!" Some men with strange masks appeared from nothing.

"Bastards! Who the hell are you?" Hurled Kidd, trying to use the Devil Fruit against them.

"Your power isn't enough, Captain" answered one of masked men that seemed their boss. He had appeared among the smoke of the explosions and had hit him with a long wood stick, on which there were some chains, feathers and mysterious symbols. Kidd stopped the hit with difficulty "I don't want to repeat it: who the hell are you?"

The man was tall and thin with the bare chest full of symbols, while the shoulders were covered by a leather cape; the mask on the face was on wood.

Kidd looked at him for long time, then he saw a big "M" on the belt and began to understand "You are Big Mom's pirates" said and it wasn't a question. The men approached at them and the man throw off the mask: he had disturbing gaunt and grey eyes that lightened al the face and dark skin; he spoke with deep voice, strange for a so slander man. Very disturbing.

"What do you want?" Said Kidd, tired to repeat it.

"I am here for you, Eustass Kidd. You can choice to follow me by hook or by crook, it's the same. The orders are clear: your crew isn't necessary".

The other masked men approached again to the crew and Kidd could feel the tension of Kira and is lust of blood, but Kidd was sure that Kira couldn't win; he was smart enough to know that.

A grin appeared on his face when he said "So the "Emperess of the dead" needs me?"

The man looked at him without batting an eyelid ans just said "So, what is your answer, Captain?"

Kidd began to think quickly: now it was impossible to meet the man that must to deliver him the key of his trip, however he could contact him another time… in life. If he had refused the courteous invitation of Emperess, maybe he would have had half of crew decimated or worse.

"Okay" he answered with a grin: a meeting like that could be very interesting: usually Big Mom was a solitary pirate. Kidd looked at Kira and his crew, before to follow the men on the Emperess'ship; it was spectral, halfway between a ghost ship and a raft. He had seen other strange ways to move, like the submarine of that bastard surgeon, but that ship was the "best": the sails were torn in many points and dangled like cadaveric lianes on the rotten wood; the deck wasn't better, between a cannon hole and deep slashes.

It seemed impossible that the ship could tread water.

Kidd looked significantly to the boss, but he just made a grin to answer "Go".

"No, really: that thing can sail?"

"We not need to sail…" said the man and Kidd heard Kira swear at the sky, while the ship pinched from the soil. It was easy understand that they were flying.

"Holy crap…" murmured Kidd, glancing down where the sea was passing many meters below. How it was possible that nobody, in many years, had noticed a flying ship?!

"Captain…" Kira and Kidd looked at each other for a while, then they understood that they weren't alone anymore: around them, other six ships similar for degradation and flying in the same way.

A damned fleet!

And then he was there… Kidd observed with shock the man on one of Big Mom's deck: he was tall, with long blond hair and imposing bearing.

"Basil Hawkins…" murmured Kidd, but the Emperess' man followed his glance and shook the shoulders "He is just the third Captain of the fleet".

Just. Hawkins' bounty was of 249.000.000 beri and was one of the higher in the world.

How much powerful could be that woman if a strong and imperturbable pirate like Basil Hawkins was just one of her captains?

* * *

The guards moved with a deference that bothered him. There were many years that he didn't set foot on the Headquarter of Navy.

"Sir…"

And all these "sir" irritating him because he knew that, beyond all these smiles and bows, there were the evil plans of the Fleet Admiral. The corridor he was going through seemed infinite and he had all the time to think about the possible implications of that call, before arriving in front of a big door.

There were many years that he didn't see Akainu, or better Sakazuki, however he was ready to beat that he wasn't change at all. And in fact, despite of the look became older after the war, he had the same cool eyes and bad grin.

"Drake, it is a pleasure to meet you again" said with ironic tone.

The other snorted, especially thinking about the courteous way that navy soldiers had used to convince him to follow them: in the Shabondi bay they had stopped hi ship before he could sail with the other Supernovas and now his men were in the Marineford Bay under arrest and he was here to remember ghost of the past.

"Why am I here?"

Sakazuki looked at him, while his cape fluttered on his shoulders; the capital letters hurled "Absolute Justice", a thing that Drake would never forget as long as he lived.

"You're here because I have a mission for you" replied Akainu, impassible,

Drake felt each muscle of his body quiver in rage "I'm not a man of Navy anymore, you know it" answered, ready to return to his crew.

"Not so fast, X" said Sakazuki and Drake stopped: that letter was a part of his new pirate name, of his new identity; he showed it with proud, but he knew that Sakazuki thought other things.

"I am happy to note how you had been so shameless to show your chest without any problem" continued, looking at the big cross on his bare chest.

Drake grinned "I've nothing to do with that life, Sakazuki. I've say goodbye to her many years ago and I've not problems with it".

Akainu pretended to be thoughtful "It was easy for you to arrive at this point, considering your powerful and your deep knowledge of the Navy and his secrets, Drake…"

He waited for the jab, while the eyes were searching some proofs for the mission.

"… but if I decided to open some old files now missed… maybe it will not be so easy for you anymore".

Drake shook his head "It will be the same thing! I'm already wanted by the Navy and another accusation wouldn't change anything".

"It wouldn't change anything if I talked about the deserter rear admiral, but we know that there is something more" replied, throwing on the table the red file. Drake didn't need to see it to know how it was write. His infamous past was returning to kill him.

"You can't have these informations!" Exclaimed, but he knew already the truth through the big grin on his face.

"Oh, I guess it is easier for the Fleet Admiral of the Navy…" replied, tilting his head on the left.

Drake could see a part of the big tattoo on Akainu's neck and had a deep breathing "That tattoo… it was you, all the time…" murmured as he had suddenly understood something.

Sakazuki grinned again "These are my conditions: if you doesn't accept, I made sure that this and other files will be open again and, at the end, you will have so many faults and crimes that you will look like the unique responsible of the world's evil.

Drake turned pale "You know that I was just a soldier! I've nothing to do with the high decision of the history!"

"Yes, funny how among the truths there is just my word" said Sakazuki and he knew that he had won. Drake became to sweat blood: to open that history meant to reinstate a dangerous past that was important for the world's destiny. It meant to bring back the Missing Story and actions that he never wanted to do… even now, when he closed the eyes, he could hear the shouts of men and women in the fire… Drake closed the eyes and had a deep breathing "What do I do?" and he didn't see the grin of the fleet admiral, because he turned the face towards the door "Ex rear Admiral, I guess you know already Jewelry Bonney?"

"Let me go, bastards!"

The soldiers let her wrists and Bonney fell in front of the shocked expression of X Drake. The girl looked at him with a disgusting expression "He had bribed you too, huh?"

Drake quickly turn the expression in ice "I don't think so, lady".

Bonney continued to look at him with an indecipherable gaze , then Sakazuki had her up with bad grace "Good, you two have a mission to accomplish. Pray to not fail".

* * *

Kishu looked through the narrow passage of the forest: the crew was stopped two hours ago and he had heard two pirates to say that they were going to stay on the Island for at least two days.

Finally a calm mission.

So Kishu got away to the beach in waiting news from other missions; rumor going around was that somebody took a deviation on the native island of man that he was following and he was curious to know. But generally it was forbidden to contact the other Generals during the missions: the danger of wiretapping was high and Dragon wanted spare useless bloodshed.

However the situation seemed calm and Kishu doubted that somebody of those stupid pirates realised of being followed.

"Kumei… are you there, stupid cat?" Tried to call. The DenDenMushi made some electric discharges, then the bothered voice of the coworker arrived broken "…don't call me cat, idiot".

Kishu grinned, showing sharped teeth "Yep, sorry. So, what's going on here? Why the deviation?"

"And what's the story of calling me? You know the rules!"

Kishu snorted: Kumei was cool, but he followed the rules too much. They were rivolutionaries not marines, for the God's sake!

"I'm in pause now" he replied, looking at On Air's pirates. "Tell me everything".

Kumei whispered and began to tell the story, but Kishu didn't understand a thing: in the New World the electric discharges were most frequent and comunications were complicated. However they didn't hazard to use cleaner channels, because they were the same of the Navy. In all the talk he understood just "skeleton-man" and "long arms".

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I said: the Long Arms tribe are in danger and… a skeleton called…"

"Ok, I see. We'll talk to the general assembly then" gave up Kishu. He wanted to close the mission and return to Baltigo for a while. He knew that the break lasted always half a day, but it was better like that than nothing.

The strategic summit of Generals was been delayed thanks to the attack of that psycho scientist to the White Ship while they navigated near Zoltan, where the girl of Ohara was been abandoned until date to be set.

Kishu was curious to meet her, after all the rumors circulated since many years; he knew that she belonged to the Strawhat's crew, but other rumors said that she should become a General or that Dragon wanted to use her knowledge about the lost language. But as usual the truth was somewhere in-between. In the end, they were all waiting new dispositions.

"Kishu, answer me…" the deep voice of Dragon called him from DenDenMushi.

"Yes, boss. I'm here".

"Your coordinates" replied with severity.

"Mmh, Red Moon Island, a few miles from the Devil's pass. The crew is docked here since two days".

"Good. I want a complete report into next hours, then I'll ask you to return at the base: something is happening. We have to reunite".

"Yes, boss!"

Kishu returned to look through the pass in the leaves: the man with long arms had to be the Captain of the crew, Scratchmen Apoo. It seemed incredible that he was at few steps from him and he couldn't do nothing; in that way he could solve many problems, but Dragon had other complicated plans. He had to keep a check on him, even if Apoo didn't seem ready to go somewhere. Kishu began to write the report for Dragon, when a shadow arrived at his shoulders. There was something in the path behind him, the one that bolted his escape route toward the beach.

Kishu didn't worth to extract the knife, because truly few warriors could intimidate him; the only risk was that his front could be discovered as Sabo and his mission.

The shadow revealed itself as a big man, almost a giant, with wings on his shoulders and a grin on the face. Kishu didn't need to sharpen his wits to understand that he was Urouge, one of these Supernovas, the group of rookie pirates that frightened the Navy. Urouge had a big DenDenmushi "Yeah, I find him. Yes, he is here with his crew… it will be a breeze to approach him and offer him an agreement" he was saying to somebody. It seemed that his plan was to talk with Scratchman Apoo and convince him about something. That mean his mission was in danger.

Kishu waited for him to stop talk, then unsheathed the knife from the belt and blockaded him the path "I'm sorry for you, man. But I can't let you doing what you think" said.

Urouge looked at him to search some recognition signs and in the end he saw the red strip on his abdomen, the unique symbol of rivolutionaries, and grinned "Oh, my mission will be easier than predict. It will be enough catch you".

"So then, bring it on!"


End file.
